As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls
by Lucky Duck 24
Summary: What if Lex had been the one to take Kara Zor El in instead of Clark? Will love be enough to temper Lex Luthor's destiny, or will it make the rivalry between Luthor and Superman worse? Rated M just to be safe, probably some sexuality and language.
1. Aglow

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part One: ****Shadow of a Secret**

**Disclaimer: Kara ****Zor****-El, ****Kal****-El, and Lex Luthor**** are the property of DC Comics.**

**Chapter One: Aglow**

The first time she opened her eyes, everything was a blinding shade of white. A guttural cry was torn from her throat at the sudden pain, and she squeezed her eyes shut against the brightness. She heard the faint crackling of fire nearby and felt the heat even with her newfound invulnerability. That was when the last sixteen years hit her like a freight train.

Kara Zor-El whimpered at the memory of Krypton's destruction. The crystals that had been so carefully built and pristinely maintained came crashing down to crush people she had known her entire life. Most had shattered at the impact with the ground, which shook with every impact. The red sun had reached a critical level, just like her uncle had predicted.

She had been one of the witnesses to many meetings of the counsel where Jor-El had plead his case to its apathetic members and had been disappointed each time. Now that the destruction was upon them, there was no stopping it. Krypton had destroyed itself through its own ignorance. It had paid the price.

She'd crawled into a spaceship made of dead crystals despite her own protests. Her parents insisted that she protect the baby Kal-El when they completed their journey to Earth, a strange planet a few galaxies away. She undertook her mission with tears and painful goodbyes, and then she slept.

Her eyes had not been opened in sixteen years, and the yellow sun was brighter than anything she'd ever seen. Meanwhile, her body was brimming with invisible energy, and everything was tingling, down to the tips of her fingers. Taking a deep breath, she covered her eyes with her hands and slowly opened them. The darkness was a welcome sight, and she took her time lifting her hands to gradually allow her eyes to adjust to the light.

The sky was blue, and the clouds were white. The grass around the smoking crater the ship had created was green. Before she had time to absorb all of the colors, she noticed the flames flickering in a large circle around her. True to what Jor-El's research foretold, when she opened her mouth, she felt a cool puff of air in her throat. She blew it out, and a trail of frosty air easily extinguished the fire, which left harmless steam in its wake.

She couldn't help the small, surprised grin from curving her lips. There was a sense of freedom that came with the power thrumming inside her, but she could not forget her purpose. The black crystals from the ship were mostly intact, but a few of them had broken from the impact. Her eyes burned when she used her heat vision to melt the pieces together, but the burn wasn't unpleasant.

She looked up at the sound of voices nearby. It was one male and one female. She could not afford to be discovered. She could not decipher their language, but her sensitive hearing told her that they were coming closer. Lifting the ship that she would never have been able to budge back on Krypton, she flew through the air at an amazing speed. It was so fast, in fact, that she heard a sonic boom behind her.

Flight was exhilarating. She closed her eyes as the wind buffeted her hair and cried out in pleasant surprise when she went through a cloud. The mist inside soaked the white robe that covered her body. Before she could fully enjoy her experience, however, she reminded herself of the ship in her hands. She needed to find a place to hide it where no one would ever find it.

It took her nearly an hour to find a wasteland that was remote enough to bury it in. She recognized the material as it filtered through her fingers. Most of the glass in Argo City was made from this sand, but it was a different color here. Instead of being a dark crimson, it was tan, a color she'd never seen on Krypton. It didn't take long to completely bury it and cover up any evidence.

The sun was especially concentrated here. Even though it was setting, she could feel it charging her cells. Even after digging and flying for so long, her body was renewed with energy that seemed to come from its rays. Granules of sand seemed to follow her as she launched into the air once more to find Kal-El.

After sleeping on the roof of a busy factory, she could hear everything in a five-mile radius. Instead of shutting the ability out, she listened to each and every separate voice and tried to comprehend their language. Eventually, the exercise became tiring, and she needed to be somewhere quiet.

Despite her wish, somewhere quiet was not where she ended up.

* * *

Lex Luthor let out an undignified grunt when the sheriff slammed him into the trunk of the patrol car. His arms were forcibly wrenched behind him. Cold metal clicked as the handcuffs closed around his wrists a little too tightly. Among his numb shock, he could barely hear the words being spoken as if the man were reading off a grocery list. 

"Alexander Luthor, you are hereby under arrest for the murder of your wife, Lana Luthor." The man followed this with a list of his rights, though he suspected that his actual rights were few and far between.

That was how he found out that his wife was dead. Immediately, images from his photographic memory assaulted him. Lana's coquettish green eyes, raven hair like silk, and a sultry little smile like she held all the secrets to the world. He felt something inside him tear. He had put all of himself into her and trusted her despite his suspicions about Clark.

The last time he'd ever touched her was when he slapped her. It was a mistake, but her words were like spears being slowly pushed through his heart. Saying that she never loved him as much as she loved Clark was the final straw. As much as he wanted to do something violent, he remained docile and tempered his rage. He'd even called her cell phone and left messages in an attempt to apologize.

He felt a hand on the back of his head before his nose was smashed into the vehicle. Blood trickled down his face. The hand then shoved him into the back of the car and slammed the door on his overcoat. He allowed his head to lull to the side. His vision was blurry, but it was clear enough to see that he had no chance of escaping this. The wire separating the back seat from the front was impenetrable with his hands behind his back.

He barely saw the wave coming from the corner of his eye. His mouth dropped open, and he didn't have time to react as the water swept the car off the bridge. He heard a deafening splash, and the car was suddenly surrounded by water. It was flooding through the air conditioning, and it was already up to his ankles.

He shouted for help in a futile effort and hit his skull against the window in an attempt to break it. After the first near-concussion, it became obvious that the window was not going to crack. The outer pressure was far too great. His scientific mind calculated the amount of force it would require to even fracture the glass, and it would take more than he had available.

This was it. He was going to die. He gasped in desperate breaths as the water reached his mouth, but it was hopeless. It was only just that he would die with Lana on his mind. After all, he was accused of killing her. Her death had to have been violent. When the water closed the last gap of air near the roof, Lex was thinking of how she always smelled like vanilla.

The sunlight was almost unbearable. The light seemed to attract his attention, and he knew why the moment she floated down into his life. She was an angel. It seemed like a tired cliché, but with her golden hair that flowed ethereally in the water and the white fabric that drifted around her body in time with the waves, he knew that she was a heavenly creature.

Her eyes, bluer than the water he was drowning in, gazed back at him for a moment before she pulled the door from its hinges. It seemed like a dream as she lifted him from the seat, held him close to her, and started moving upwards. It felt like they were flying through the water. Maybe they were. After all, she was an angel. Where were her wings? He would've let out a laugh at the delirious thought that they were going in the wrong direction. After all, shouldn't it have been Lionel dragging him down to hell when he died?

When they finally broke through the surface, he sucked in deep breaths. It didn't work out well when he tried to expel water from his lungs at the same time, and he was coughing hard. An impossibly warm hand touched his back gently, and he knew that it was hers. He looked up into her eyes once more and saw uncertainty in them. He could almost see the desire to run in her expression, and he raised his hand to stop her.

"Wait. Who are you?" he asked frantically.

It was the wrong thing to do. Something flickered over her virtuous features, and in the next second, she was gone. He dared not to blink lest he miss the blur in the sky that filled him with awe.

* * *

Kara had never considered herself to be heroic before, but saving the drowning man felt so natural that it made her think twice about it. Right now, she had to look for Kal-El. She knew for a fact that he would have landed in this area, but when she did a surface scan of the fields, she could find no sign of another ship landing. 

Perhaps he had been delayed by something. The thought struck fear in her. If her infant cousin was lost somewhere in the galaxies, how was she supposed to find him? It would take years to search all the planets.

Her solution was to keep looking. Maybe he had arrived ahead of her by a day or two, or even a week since she couldn't find markings in the ground from his ship. The next day, she spotted a large group of children playing on primitive devices.

She tried to keep out of sight, but she had to remain close to discern the facial features of the children. After examining the crowd of shouting toddlers for nearly five minutes, she decided that Kal-El was not one of them. Several of the adults peered over at her. It was time to leave.

She parted from the place with a blur of motion that was barely detectable to the human eye and went about checking other locations. There were many children outside at this time, and she made her rounds as quickly as possible. The humans watching over the children were acting strangely, and she didn't like it.

She was ready to give up when someone took her by the arm and forced her to run far more quickly than any human could. Her confused glance was met with a look of determined anger in the aqua green eyes of her competitor. She was struck with an odd feeling of recognition as she looked at the bone structure and dark, wavy hair of the man who stood nearly a foot taller than her.

He opened his mouth and spoke words that she couldn't understand, but his tone clearly implied that he was outraged. His body language was stiff, and his face was unreadable. He was far more complex than any human she had encountered. How had he run so fast?

"(What are you?)" she asked in precise Kryptonian. She didn't have time to react to his hostile shove, so there was no grace involved when she stumbled backwards into a tree. The wood splintered under the force, and the cracking and thud was probably audible for miles as it fell to the ground.

In Kara's eyes, the tree was a crystal tower on Krypton. Seeing it fall brought back the pain. It was easy to dodge his next blow and send him flying through the air with gritted teeth. His backwards descent dragged him through the mud before he finally stopped. She rose into the air and landed at his location with renewed fury.

"(How did you escape from Krypton?)" she demanded. His powers were all too familiar. He was definitely another of her race, but his presence was unaccounted for. His temper shone in his eyes when he stood and spat words back at her in the language she still couldn't comprehend. She did, however, recognize the word "Kryptonian" in his speech before he sent his fist into her jaw.

She managed to keep her footing and used her weight to drive her knee into his groin. She read the pain on his face with satisfaction, but while she was gloating, she missed the signs of another attack. He blew air from his mouth, and the power of it flung her into the air several hundred feet.

Her back hit shallow water and rocks beneath it, and she shouted a curse at the smack of water and the rocks piercing her back. Incredible pain shot through her body as the shards seemed to send a pulse through her wounds into her bloodstream. She was mystified when she raised her shaking hands and saw her veins standing out. Her skin looked as if it were tinted green.

She could hear him running to her area, presumably to harm her even more. In an act of desperation, she twisted her face in pain and gave a short burst of flight, though she remained horizontal and close to the ground. When she could manage it no longer, she yelled as her body flipped on asphalt. It scraped her skin hard, especially her cheek and elbows.

She had enough energy to roll from her back to her side before she fell unconscious.

* * *

Lex had been cleared of all murder charges in less than a day. When they found all the messages left on Lana's phone, it was obvious that he was trying to reconcile with her. Not only that, but his father had paid someone to come forward and confess to her murder. 

Lionel was still missing, but Lex knew his style when he saw it. His presence was still here in Smallville, no matter where his physical body was. His private investigator was working on it. Pontius was reliable, but he also didn't like to be rushed. Lex found that the quality was worth the wait. He was also working on any sightings of his mystery girl, the one who had saved him with no reservations.

He had spent the entire night sketching a drawing of her in charcoal, but somehow, he couldn't get all the features right. It was one of the first times that his photographic memory failed him. Her beauty was not something that could be captured by a human hand. He was Hephaestus to her Aphrodite, unable to tame her but still hopelessly in love with her.

He wasn't sure if what he was feeling was actual love. It was not something he had experienced often. Even with Lana, there were times that he faltered, and she was not something to be worshiped. Not like this girl. He could see her in his dreams, surrounded by a halo of white light. He was fixated on her celestial blue eyes.

Daydreaming while driving wasn't exactly a good habit, but he couldn't stop thinking about her. Even when he stopped by the Talon to get a cup of coffee, he didn't speak to anyone. He hardly noticed the silence when he walked into his own establishment. It was a small town, and everyone was biased in their own way. Most of the people just happened to be against him.

No matter who his father paid to confess, these people would always believe that he killed Lana Lang. They would believe it because it fit into their small-minded ideology. The big, bad billionaire's son came to the small town, ruined it with his fertilizer factory, and then stole the town princess just to kill her. He could imagine Jonathan Kent hating him from his grave.

In his smirking reverie, he almost missed the lump in the road in front of him. He braked quickly and swerved to avoid it, but something drew him to look closer. He pulled over at the sight of golden locks spread over the asphalt. Could it be her?

He got out of the car and knelt by her side. It was his mystery woman, yes, but she was obviously injured. There was a pool of dark blood under her, and he noticed shards of glowing meteor rocks embedded in the flesh of her back. Her complexion had taken on a green tint, and she looked deathly ill.

He doubted that she was even conscious. Her eyes were only half-open, and they were glazed over. Her face possessed the angelic beauty that he remembered, but the sickness made her veins stand out against her skin. His thumb grazed her cheek before he regained his senses. After a few minutes, she was lying in his back seat, and he was on the phone with his personal doctor.

He told him that it was an emergency, but it was strictly confidential. He needed lots of equipment. He had a feeling that she couldn't hang on much longer. As invulnerable as she had seemed, she was dying now. He could feel it, and it bothered him.

The silver Porsche made it to the mansion in three minutes, and the good doctor's helicopter made it in five. His security team carried the girl inside and put her in one of the guest bedrooms. When Dedalus saw her wounds, he shook his head and muttered in frustration.

"She looks like she's already dead, Lex." The tall man began unpacking his supplies anyway. He knew that this was an emergency call, and Lex wasn't going to give up. His eyes went to the glowing meteor rocks, and he ran his hand through his short, brown hair in a nervous gesture. "What have you gotten me into this time?"

Lex was irked at the doctor's audacity to ask him a question so bluntly, but he was one of the only medical professionals that he could trust. Lionel had fired Dedalus five years ago, and the doctor had a family to provide for. Not only did Lionel fire him, but he also blacklisted him. Now, Lex paid him far more than he would ever need.

"She's…different," he admitted. "I want you to remove the meteor shards from her back. All of them."

Dedalus shook his head. "With pieces this small, it's in her bloodstream by now."

"I don't care what you have to do, Dedalus. The meteors are clearly the cause of her condition. Clean her blood, and get a sample. I want you to do the tests yourself. This is a special case, and I want absolute secrecy. I'll pay you five times your usual salary." He fought to keep his voice smooth and tucked his hands into his pockets. This was a major find. If she wasn't a meteor freak, what was she? The meteors wouldn't harm her if they had been the source of her powers.

Lex wanted to do the tests himself. The first thing he wanted to do was to look at her blood under a microscope. However, he did have a Fortune 500 company to run and not much time for anything else. He watched the doctor take out the tools needed to extract the meteor.

"You don't have to stay. I'll take care of her," Dedalus promised with a crooked little smile, which meant that he was very pleased with his bonus.

It took Dedalus the rest of the night to extract the shards from her skin. Through the night, the doctor ran her blood through a filter to collect the rest of the rock.

Even though he tried to focus on Lexcorp's weekly projections, Lex found himself checking up on the girl once every two hours. It was six o'clock in the morning before he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Kara awoke in an unfamiliar place. From the second she opened her eyes, her mind and body were alert. She didn't even allow her eyes to adjust in the dim light before she began checking around her for signs of life. She heard a steady heart beat and saw that there was a man in a white coat sleeping in a chair beside the bed. 

Slowly and carefully, she lifted the linens that covered her prone form and pulled them from the bed. She took her time stepping on the surface of the floor, which wasn't the crystalline substance she was used to. It creaked lightly when she shifted her weight, but the man did not wake, even when she left the room.

After there was no longer a need for silence, she used her enhanced speed to scale the stairs and emerge on the roof. Kara wrapped the cloth sheet around her to cover her nudity and closed her eyes. The yellow sun was rising, and its healing power was calling to her.

Almost immediately, she felt her exhausted power cells regaining their energy under the charge of the sun. She barely noticed her feet lift off of the cement as she unconsciously floated in a state of relaxation. After five minutes of intense concentration, she felt exhaustion conquering her once more. She allowed herself to float down and backwards, and gravity gently set her on the concrete roof. The sun's rays soaked into her as she rested.

It was several hours before she heard the door that gave access to the roof creak open. Footsteps were coming closer to her, and the human moved into a crouch before touching two fingers to her neck. As soon as they swiped her skin, her quick reflexes allowed her to grab the offender's wrist as she opened her eyes.

It was the man that she had saved from drowning. His silver-blue eyes looked down at her with unveiled curiosity as she sat up and clutched the cloth to her chest. Despite coming from another planet, she had some modicum of modesty. He spoke in English, and she let out a frustrated sigh. Everyone spoke English. No one spoke her language, and the only Kryptonian here wanted to kill her.

The man said something else and placed a gentle hand on her bare shoulder. She could read the comfort in his eyes, and even though she couldn't speak his language, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her like the Kryptonian did. They both stood, and she found that she was a whole head shorter than him.

He motioned for her to follow him before he went back into the castle. She stayed close behind him, mostly because she was completely unaware of any threats that may surround her. The man carried a sense of power, and her state of mind made her want to hide behind him.

He led her into a room much like the one she woke up in, but he passed the bed. Instead, he went to the double doors and opened them to reveal hanging garments. He turned to face her again, presumably to see her reaction, and she couldn't help but smile. These clothes were different than what the style on Krypton was, but they closely resembled the clothes that Kryptonians had worn in the past. Finally, there was something that she was familiar with.

His eyes lit up with amusement at her reaction, but he didn't seem to be mocking her. It was much like a game, and he was playing with her. He said something with a wry smile twisting his scarred lips right before leaving her to choose her clothing.

The closet was so large that she could walk inside, and she had to do so in order to see everything it had to offer. There were so many different types of fabrics, and most of them were so smooth that they felt like water. After putting on the proper undergarments, she selected a richly blue silk top that was sleeveless. From what she remembered in the pictures of the fashion history of Krypton, she should select a dark color to go with it.

The black pants she chose were not nearly as soft as the shirt, but the fabric was still pleasing to the touch. When she was fully clothed, she opened the door and found the man standing behind it. He seemed surprised at being caught, and this time, it was her lips that were drawn into a smirk.

She left the door open and moved further into the room to invite him in. He seemed to get her message as he came near her and said something in English. She could understand that it was something about her clothes, probably complimenting them or making fun of them, but his smooth scalp drew her attention away from the velvet tenor of his voice.

He was close enough that all she had to do was reach up to run her hands over his head. The bald skin was soft and impossibly flawless, and she traced the contours of it as she was memorized by the feel of it. She noted the subtle change in his eyes, the way the lids dropped just slightly while the color changed to a smoky gray from the newfound lack of light.

She ran her fingers over the knob in the back of his skull and felt him tremor ever-so-slightly when she reached the back of his neck, only to come forward and move along his jaw. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down when he swallowed hard, and her super hearing picked up the subtle increase in his breathing rate. One thumb strayed to his lips, and she couldn't help herself as she lightly dragged it across his only visible imperfection, the scar in the middle. It was an interruption in the softness of his lips, and the texture was somewhat different.

She wasn't expecting it when his hand wrapped around hers. It wasn't rough. He wasn't telling her to stop. Still, he guided their joined hands down to his chest and pressed them against it. He spoke a single syllable word in English, and then put their hands on her chest. He seemed to be waiting for something, but she only felt puzzled by his actions.

He repeated these ministrations twice more before her eyes lit up with understanding.

"Lex," he said each time their hands were on his chest. She took it to mean that it was what he was called, and he was expecting her to give her name. The fourth time he said his name, she said it with him. A smile quirked his lips and his eyes lit up. He was obviously pleased with her. When he put their hands on her chest again, she was ready.

"Kara," she returned with a questioning glance. He was still smiling when he repeated her name to himself.

There was a quiet moment between them before she heard footsteps in the hallway outside. Unsure of any kind of secrecy between them, she stepped back and slipped her hand from his just in time. The man who was sleeping beside her bed this morning looked incredibly annoyed. His emotions were plain on his face and specifically written in his intensely green eyes.

* * *

"Dedalus." Lex didn't bother to hide his own irritation as he surreptitiously put his hands in his pockets. He wasn't just irked by the doctor's interruption, but also his own emotions toward this girl who seemed like an angel. Kara. He couldn't stop saying her name in his mind. It fit her so well. He had tensed when she started touching his head, but the sensations had immediately become pleasurable. 

It had only been a few days, and she was able to melt him with one touch. He couldn't deny his arousal in the situation, but there had also been a sweet innocence to the whole experience, even when her fingers touched his lips. He couldn't stand not knowing her name, and the exercise had gone well. He hadn't expected her to catch on as quickly as she did, but he was glad to learn that she was intelligent. Even though she couldn't speak the language, he could sense such depth in her.

That little fact did not pass by unnoticed. Many other people in the world didn't speak English, but she was in Kansas. Surely immigrants didn't come to America to see all the goddamned corn. There was that and her incredible power. He had a feeling that flying was only the start. The way she looked in the sun, so golden and perfect, couldn't be just a coincidence. She didn't seem to be in any pain, either. Any human would have been in bed all day from the wounds she'd suffered.

The way the meteors affected her made him cringe. If he wanted to study her, he would have to examine her under the effects of the green rocks, but her pale face kept coming back to the front of his mind. Could he deliberately do that to her, this mysterious angel, who was so cute and sweet? It wasn't like him to be this weak. He needed to spend time away from her, but he had to show her the basics of living. He knew that she wouldn't know where to go in order to get food or how she was entertained.

"What the hell have you gotten me into this time?" Judging by his tone, the doctor was not happy. Lex simply waited for the red-faced man to express his obvious frustrations. "I took a sample of her blood from the meteor rocks. It's not like anything I've ever seen before."

"Look closer. Some kind of foreign substance must have gotten mixed in with the blood." Dedalus was not usually this dense. Lex chalked it up to sleeping in a chair all night. Because he had overslept this morning, Kara was allowed to explore the house on her own. She could have easily run off. Instead, Lex had found her lying on the roof and taking in the sun. Any doubt of her beauty from the effect of the meteor rocks had been completely erased when he saw her skin lit by the rays of the sun.

Dedalus shook his head. "I filtered out the dirt and gravel. Whatever substance I tested was already in her blood." He seemed to notice Kara's presence for the first time, but she was exploring the room without seeming to have any part in the conversation. "Does she speak English?" He didn't really care if she understood him or not, but it wouldn't do any good to speak of top secret lab results around nosy, mysterious women, especially if she liked to gossip.

"No, she doesn't. I've only heard her speak a few times," Lex replied loftily. "I want you to get another sample to erase this anomaly. The meteor rock mutated her blood, and prolonged exposure to it turned it into something unrecognizable. Your results were simply distorted by its presence." He thought about her abilities and paused for a moment. "However, she may be a meteor mutant. She has exhibited unusual capabilities."

"How can she be a meteor mutant if the meteor rocks are harmful to her?" Dedalus's question brought back vivid memories from years ago. Clark Kent was shown in full color as he told Lex that he was allergic to meteor rocks. His face had been twisted in pain as he lied through gritted teeth again. Lex's train of thought was abruptly stopped when he saw Kara wandering into the hallway.

"Kara," he called, and she turned immediately. She probably felt that since she wasn't part of the conversation, she should leave. He looked at those wide, innocent blue eyes and wondered briefly if she would lie to him like Clark had. How could she? She didn't even speak English. It was both a blessing and a difficulty, mostly because he couldn't tell her to stay on the grounds. She seemed to see the question in his eyes and motioned her finger in a circle, which he took to mean that she was going to do more exploring.

During the conversation with the doctor, he had seen her examining the things in the room. She had opened dresser drawers and seemed subtly surprised by everything she saw. Her delicate fingers had touched almost everything. He classified her immediately as a tactile learner. The thing that somewhat puzzled him was that she looked as if she didn't have knowledge of anything here, from common household items to the expensive original paintings that hung on his walls. Even foreign countries had brushes.

His angel theory had faded with her experience with the meteor rocks. He didn't believe in God anyway, but she was the closest thing to Heaven that he'd ever seen. If nothing else, she was a scientific experiment that would actually challenge him. He could make billions if he isolated the healing compound in her blood and found a way to make it work in another person's body.

He hadn't properly mourned Lana yet. There was a sense of finality that weighed on him if he allowed himself to think about it for too long, that he would never find another woman who could stand him. Unless Kara was willing to be his companion. The notion was almost dismissed, but he thought deeply about the obsession he had with her. It was possible. If he treated her with care and gave her a place to call home, she would be grateful. He felt the ghost touch of her fingers over his lips. Innocent or not, she seemed willing to stay here. She seemed comfortable with him.

He reminded himself to nod at her request, and she seemed to understand that this meant yes. While she was leaving, he sensed Dedalus looking at her as well and tried not to glare when he turned back to face the doctor. "I don't know what she is," Lex said quietly. "That's why I want this to remain absolutely confidential. No one receives this information but me, and you're the only one doing the work. Understood?" After Dedalus's nod, Lex resisted the urge to snarl. "My presence will be required with all of your visits with Kara, whether it's to draw a vial of blood or to perform an experiment. Your tests are subject to my approval, of course. During your stay, you will be in the second guest bedroom. Charity will show you to your room after I speak with her."

He could tell from the look on his face that Dedalus was suspicious and a small bit disappointed. He wondered if the doctor was planning on torturing her. Not anymore. Lex had burst that bubble as soon as he possibly could. "Of course, Lex. I wouldn't dream of betraying you." A small smile appeared on his face, telling Lex that he knew what would happen if he did. "I need to draw blood from her."

With a slight inclination of his head, Lex led the way into the hallway. It didn't take long to find Kara. Charity's gun was drawn, and Kara didn't seem to know what to think. Lex didn't either when he first met her. She was part of a bodyguard agency, one that he usually didn't hire from, but he had been desperate to find new security that was incorruptible from his father. Charity didn't look like a bodyguard, which was one of her best assets. The Native American woman had dark blue eyes that stood out against her tanned skin, not to mention the jet black hair that trailed down her back in a single braid. She was shorter than most, but she packed a punch when she was unarmed. It was her tenacity and her pledge of loyalty that made him hire her.

"Stand down," Lex commanded. Charity looked disbelieving as she lowered her gun and slowly placed it back in its holster. His eyes flickered over to Kara, who looked visibly relieved. Apparently, Charity had done some shouting to scare the poor girl before he came along. Then again, his head of security had been unprepared, and he blamed himself for overlooking that little detail. "Charity, this is Kara. She'll be staying in the main guest bedroom. She has access to anything in the house, but I want you to try and keep her on the grounds if possible. We'll be down in the laboratory. After we're done, I'll need you to escort Dedalus to the second guest bedroom."

"Sir, if I may ask, who is she?" Charity's tone was far from insolent. Nevertheless, Lex wasn't going to stand for it.

"You may not ask. You may wait for Dedalus to finish in the lab," he snapped. Kara seemed to tense at the hostility in his voice, but he placed a hand soothingly on her arm. The three of them left the foyer behind as Lex led the way to the lab, softly rubbing Kara's elbow along the way. She seemed distracted by the paintings, as if she were trying to take in each and every one.

It took quite a few hallways and a set of stairs leading to the lower levels to reach the entrance of the lab, which was guarded by a thick, steel door. He pressed his thumb into the scanner and stated his name before the doors opened for him. He felt Kara hesitate, but it was only momentary. She followed him to a bed, and he motioned for her to sit. She did, but she was throwing nervous glances at Dedalus. Lex glanced at the doctor, who was putting on rubber gloves and readying a needle and a few vials.

He could see her eyes glistening in fear at the needle and watched her shift uncomfortably. The first time Dedalus took her arm, she jerked it back in surprise. Lex saw that she didn't trust him, and he waved Dedalus off for the moment while his hands ran over her cheeks. Instead of looking at Dedalus, she looked at Lex, and he could see the confusion radiating from her eyes. The fear was coming off her in waves. He stroked her skin slowly, and this time, Dedalus could take her arm without resistance. He tried to send the message that it was okay through his eyes, and it seemed like he was succeeding. He glimpsed down at the needle just in time to see it snap in half when Dedalus tried to puncture her skin.

His lips parted in shock at the new phenomenon, and Dedalus looked just as surprised. When he looked back at Kara, he felt sorry for her. Her eyes were squeezed shut. She was waiting for the pain of the needle. Her ability was extraordinary. It seemed like there was no end to what she could do. It was amazing, even if the meteor rocks could disable her in seconds.

"Do you have any of the meteor rock left?" The sudden stroke of brilliance hit him like lightning. Dedalus wandered over to the work area and came back with a tray of meteor shards.

He didn't expect to be affected by the distrust in Kara's eyes.

* * *

Kara was already trembling from the effects of the meteor rocks. She felt ill, and a sudden nausea swept over her. Why was he doing this to her? Even with Lex's hands on her face and his soothing eyes, she couldn't distract herself from what the other man was doing. What Lex was letting him and helping him do. The rocks seemed to mock her as they glowed, and she saw the veins in her skin stand out. 

Miserably suppressing a gag, she tried valiantly to use her eyes to get Lex to stop the other man, but he simply ran her hands through her hair. The sensation would have felt good were it not for the poison strategically placed near her as the man tried the needle again. This time, he succeeded in piercing her skin. The sudden, unfamiliar sensation of pain made her gasp and jerk, but Lex's hands slipped down to her shoulders to hold her still.

She couldn't help the tears leaking from her eyes, because the feeling of the blood being drawn from her body was terrible. She could feel it sucking underneath her skin, and the unpleasantness of it all made her draw Lex close. She buried her face in his black shirt, one hand in the middle of his back while the other was being held still so that the needle would stay in.

His muscles tensed underneath her, but he soon relaxed and stroked her hair. He was cooing foreign words into her ear and trying to comfort her, but she felt every second of it until he finally pulled out the needle and moved the meteor rocks away from her. Once they stopped glowing, she had her health back, but the memory of the experience left her feeling haunted.

The man was talking. Whatever he said caused Lex to pull away from her and look down at her arm. When she did the same, she found that her skin was healed, and there was only a tiny trace of blood. The man wiped it away with a strong-scented liquid on a ball of cotton. There was no wound, and that fact made Lex's scarred lips twist into a thoughtful frown.

"Lex." He looked surprised when she said his name, but when she told him through her eyes that she wanted to be elsewhere, he understood her. She felt the comforting gesture of his hand running through her hair again as he helped her stand and exit the lab. The woman who had tried to attack her earlier was glowering outside, but Lex didn't pay any attention to her and simply led Kara upstairs.

When they entered a large, spacious room with lots of free space, the delicious aroma of cooking food hit her, and she couldn't help flashing her teeth in a grin. She hadn't eaten since her arrival here, and she was eager to see the differences between Kryptonian cuisine and that of Earth. Her stomach rumbled in response to the smell, and Lex threw her an amused glance.

The person who was heating all of the food was an older woman with fiery red hair that was frizzy from the humidity of the kitchen. There was a small device that was playing soft music that made Kara want to sway with its smooth rhythm. When the woman noticed them, she looked up from her cooking immediately with her dark green eyes and stood attentively. When Lex raised his hand in a calming gesture, her posture relaxed, and she kept an eye on her cooking.

Lex said a few words that Kara didn't understand, but then he made clear that the woman's name was Kelly. The woman held out her hand. She seemed to be expecting something. From the corner of her eye, Kara sensed that Lex was watching her closely and heard his soft snort when she took Kelly's hand, turned it over, and examined the palm. Nothing was wrong with her hand. Why was she offering it to Kara? Kelly's laugh seemed to be more uncomfortable than Lex's, but the pressure was taken off of Kara when Lex and Kelly began to talk amongst themselves.

While they were speaking, Kara tried not to become frustrated, as difficult as that was. She was in another world where she was desperately unfamiliar with the customs and language, but she couldn't do anything about it at the moment. Getting angry wouldn't do her any good, especially when Kal-El was still out there somewhere. The sooner she could learn the language, the sooner she could start asking people if they had seen him. She didn't have a hologram of him, so it was impossible to ask about him unless she could describe him.

While listening to words that made no sense to her, she leaned over the heating machine and looked at the different foods. Her sharp sense of smell detected a variety of things while her eyes saw many different colors. From what she could tell, some of it was made from some sort of grain, while others were flavored with spices. She also smelled cooking meat, which must have come from some sort of creature. She wrinkled her nose. On Krypton, creatures lower than the Kryptonians were respected. They lived side-by-side with them and were careful not to taint their environment.

This was a different planet with clearly different customs, but Kara couldn't help feeling an ounce of disgust for anyone who would cut up creatures for food. In these containers, it seemed that there was an abundance of grains, fruits, and vegetables to sustain a normal human without using live meat. A hand swiped against her skin and rested on her arm, and she stepped away from the stove to allow the other woman to tend to it. Lex seemed to sense her discomfort and uttered a few words in English. The aggravation for the new language inside her boiled over.

She let loose a few words in Kryptonian and before Lex could overcome his shock, left the kitchen. She heard his footsteps following her calmly. When she halted in her tracks and turned with irritation in her eyes, she found herself far closer to Lex than she expected, and she could see the surprise in his eyes when he tilted his head downward. This time, it was her heart that sped up when his lips brushed hers slowly and gently. She had seen her parents share a kiss once in her life, and when they realized that she was watching them, they had quickly parted out of embarrassment. Kisses were rare in Kryptonian lifestyle, and one was only to be done with their true love.

This custom was part of why she froze when Lex deepened the kiss, even though he was taking his time and patiently waiting for her to overcome her trouble. When his fingertips brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her lips parted in a natural response. He took it as an invitation to trace the tip of his tongue along her lips, and she found herself positively electrified when her tongue touched his. She felt like she couldn't breathe. It was absurd, because she technically didn't have to breathe for at least fifteen more minutes, and she couldn't explain the tightening in her chest.

She lost all sense of thought when his tongue massaged hers. It was clear that he was in control of the kiss, but she wasn't about to complain. She didn't have any idea what she was doing, but he was a patient teacher. It didn't take long to catch on, and fifteen seconds felt like a lifetime. The distress in her lungs turned to a pleasant buzzing, and she felt completely trusting as she leaned into him. It was only when her eyes fluttered open that she realized that something was wrong.

She hadn't known that her flying power had unconsciously kicked in. They were floating ten feet above the floor, and Lex's head was an inch from the ceiling. Her lips parted from his, and he looked at her quizzically before taking a look at his surroundings. With one hand on his chest and the other on his arm, she felt his muscles tense immediately. She could practically smell the fear radiating from him.

"(It's alright,)" she told him in Kryptonian. She tried to use the same soothing tone that he'd used with her before, and it seemed to be working, if only a little. Her smile reached her eyes as she continued. "(I have you.)" She wasn't sure how, but she was able to feel the air around them and manipulate it so that the force of gravity no longer had any influence on them. However, she could feel the limit of proximity. He had to stay close to her in order for this to work.

She saw the first real smile flit across his features, as temporary as it was gratifying. His eyes looked bluer than ever, even as he released a shaky breath that he had been holding since he figured out they were floating. She made sure to hold still in the air, though a part of her wanted to fly loops with him and show him the tricks that made her feel free. She had a feeling that he wouldn't like it. It was taking him time to get used to floating, and she couldn't imagine how fearful he would be with actual flight.

Slight tugs on her hair alerted her that he was playing with her hair again, which was fast becoming a habit. She could see that he liked curling it around his fingers and thought that maybe his own lack of hair wasn't a choice. The hand that was on his chest snuck around him to the middle of his back, and her fingers massaged his skin lightly through the soft fabric of his shirt. The other hand went to the back of his neck and ran over it softly before touching his scalp.

They seemed to be mesmerized by each other, and she was able to easily match his stare with her own. She saw honesty and insecurity in him that was meant for her. She was sure of it without knowing exactly how. She showed him the confusion and fatigue that came with being on this planet. She could sense his need to protect her from the world as he leaned in to kiss her again, but she tilted her head down. Instead of kissing her lips, his lips landed on the tip of her nose, and the kiss was sweet nonetheless. Her eyes glistened when she initiated a small kiss directly afterward, her lips on his, nothing between them to stop them.

As much as her customs told her differently, the kisses felt right. She felt like this was where she was supposed to be for the rest of her life, and he was the one she was supposed to spend her life with. Kryptonian bonds were strong, and once they were engaged, they couldn't usually be broken. The duration of the formation of a permanent bond took a long time, however, and she doubted that he would show interest in her for that long.

The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them both out of their daze, and she saw the woman with the weapon on her hip standing in the hall and looking up at them expectantly. She could see the moment when Lex retreated behind his barriers, and she reluctantly lowered them to the floor and stepped away from him. The woman was just as hostile as before and treated Kara as if she weren't even there. She spoke to Lex for less than a minute before he turned his attention to Kara again.

He made a motion with his hand that meant he was leaving. Despite the fear that rose in her, she nodded, which had become a habit that she had already picked up from the day's lessons. When he leaned in, she wasn't expecting another kiss. Instead of his lips touching hers again, she felt them flit over the tip of her nose. She could tell that Lex liked the mistake because of the small quirk in one corner of his lips. He said something else to the woman before leaving, and not for the first time since her arrival, Kara felt a little lost.


	2. Synthesis

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part One****: Shadow of a Secret**

**Disclaimer****: Kara ****Zor****-El, ****Kal****-El, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics.**

**Chapter Two****: Synthesis**

In just a few days, Lex could feel himself changing. This innocent, enigmatic woman was absolutely bewitching. He doubted that she was intentionally having that effect on him, but that was part of what made her so attractive. With two murderous ex-wives, he didn't exactly have a great track record. He was tired of being manipulated. This girl, who didn't even know how to play games, had swept him off his feet, quite literally.

He dreaded the next time he would have to bring her to the lab. It was clear that she hadn't liked anything about the experience, and he'd almost lost her trust in him. That trust was vital. It would keep her here rather than anywhere else, and it would draw her to him. He was prepared for her to wander around Smallville, but hopefully she would stay out of sight until she learned to speak English. In the meantime, the tracking dot covered by synthetic skin behind her ear would transmit her location to his Blackberry. It was a sneaky move, but it was also a necessary one.

If the government got a hold of her, he would have to know where she was in order to get her back. He couldn't be too careful. At least her growing attachment to him would make her think twice about leaving. She was so pure that it felt like a sin to kiss her, but he had never been a saint. She had been clumsy at first, unsure of what to do, but she was a quick study. Judging by what she'd already learned, including gestures like nodding and shaking her head, she was extremely intelligent.

Hearing her speak had been a surprise, but it was meant to throw him off-kilter. Once she learned English, she would have to teach him parts of her language and customs. Something about the kitchen had disturbed her, and he would be sure to question the servants as to what she ate later. She seemed to hit it off with his cook, who was more like a mother to him than anything. There were times when he forgot to eat, and she would send up a tray of food and refuse to take it back until he ate it. She was stubborn, but she was right.

He had also noticed the little sway to Kara's hips when she heard the jazz music playing on the radio and the way her eyelids had become heavy. He could tell that she liked music. He would have to teach her to dance. The thought that he could teach her all of these things and then show her off at a gala in the distant future thrilled him. He had never felt that way about any of his other girlfriends, who were mere nuisances on his arm. If they weren't manipulating him, they were obsessed with him in a pathetic way.

The flying heroine in his mansion was a different story. He intended to know everything about her, even though there were miles of mystery behind her sweet eyes. Even though he had been afraid of heights since he was a child, floating was a new experience that intrigued him. He would have to think it through before he asked her if he could fly with her. He found himself trusting her as well. Why would she harm him if he gave her everything? She was a basically good person.

He didn't want to leave, but Charity had informed him that his father required his presence. Lex didn't want anything to seem suspicious, so he would do as Lionel asked. There was no reason to expose the metahuman living under his roof. He was also curious as to his father's whereabouts after the dam ruptured.

"Keep an eye on her. If she leaves the grounds for too long, call me." After receiving a curt nod from Charity, he kissed Kara on the tip of the nose. He meant to kiss her lips, but at the last second, she changed the angle. He found that he liked the mistake and gave her a small smile. "Make sure she stays our little secret." It wouldn't do to have her discovered.

After taking one last glance at Kara, he left. Despite the winding and seemingly endless hallways in this castle, he knew every inch of it. He learned early to know his territory, which came in handy when he was the favorite target of the local meteor mutants and freaks galore.

He chose a Porsche in ice blue for this particular venture. The leather bucket seats easily supported him when he slipped inside, and the engine purred to life when he turned the key. The seat belt was a nuisance, but he was considerably more accident-prone since he moved from Metropolis to Smallville. The garage was already opened by one of his staff, and he was doing sixty by the time he passed the gates.

An hour and a half drive to Metropolis gave him time to think. It irritated him that the first thing he thought of was Kara instead of what Lionel wanted. He had allowed his guard to drop around her, assuming she was some kind of heavenly being, but the tests run by Dedalus showed a different story. The elements in her blood were completely foreign except for the base chemicals like oxygen and hemoglobin.

Her DNA said the same thing. She wasn't human, but she had a weakness. He had heard theories of meteor rocks originating from one particular spot in the galaxy, but there was no solid proof behind the ideas. Now he was starting to think that her arrival was from the stars instead of the clouds. It would make more sense, and he didn't recognize the language she spoke at all.

Lex was an experienced polyglot and had a knack for accents and picking up languages. His photographic memory helped with that. This didn't sound human at all. Her tongue was harsher than most African languages, and she wasn't Middle Eastern with that blonde hair and blue eyes. Either she was a genetically different human from a country he didn't know of or she was an alien. The second choice seemed far more likely.

If that was indeed the case, they needed to perform more tests on her. It irked him that her discomfort during the laboratory experience bothered him. From then on, he would have Dedalus take care of all that. The man didn't have a conscience and would do almost anything when it came to money. He could still avoid the blame and get his results at the same time.

When he pulled up to Luthorcorp Plaza, his radio was blaring hard rock. Instead of going into the parking garage like he was ordered, he simply parked there. No one would dare steal or damage the car with his vanity plates. He had the potential to ruin lives if the car was so much as scratched. He ignored the protesting valet when he got out of the car. Instead of handing the distraught man the keys, he locked the car and set the alarm.

There was some confusion in the lobby when Lex briskly walked through, but he paid no attention to it and slipped his key card into the private elevator that would take him to the top floor. The ride was short and sweet, and when the doors opened, he was treated to the view of his father sitting behind the glass desk. Behind him, the view of Metropolis at night went unnoticed, a subtle testament to the glory of Luthorcorp's conquests.

Lionel pretended to be writing something important when Lex approached, and the upward glance and practiced smile were expected. His father set the pen down and leaned back in the padded leather executive's chair. His mane of dark hair was shorter than usual and made the grey streaks more prominent, but the trimmed beard was still in place.

"Lex," Lionel greeted as his eyes crinkled at the corners, "what a surprise." As always, he was dressed in an impeccable suit. One of his father's life lessons had been to always look his best, even when he wasn't expecting anyone important to show up. Surprises were to always be anticipated and handled smoothly.

"It's hardly a surprise, Dad. You're the one who invited me here." He didn't spare his father from his blunt criticism. His eyes narrowed as he looked around the office. Even though he hadn't been in charge of Luthorcorp for quite a while, the furniture still carried his style. What wasn't black was glass, and it retained the look of a cold and detached place of business.

"Did Charity pass on that nugget? I was under the impression that you were avoiding me. Having assistants take messages is not the way to conduct a proper phone call, son." Lionel was taunting him. That was nothing new, but Lex inwardly bristled at the veiled insult. His father always found ways to make him feel inadequate. He gritted his teeth.

"I wasn't expecting your call. You've been missing for days," he responded in a dry tone. His hands slipped into the pockets of his leather trench coat. "Where were you this time? I hear Aruba's great this time of year. Who's the next lucky piece of arm candy?" His father's "business trips" weren't uncommon and were often spontaneous. Some of the women that went with him were younger than Lex.

Lionel chuckled and interlaced his fingers. "Please, Lex. I wouldn't create all of this mess for a woman. You need to keep a more watchful eye on your relationships." Lex's eyes narrowed at his father's accusation, but he said nothing. Whatever Lionel wanted to reveal, he would do so. "The truth is that I was kidnapped by a psychotic woman working for none other than Lana Lang."

This time, it was Lex who snickered. This was far easier than he suspected. "In case you haven't heard, Lana is dead. They found her remains in an explosion. Her DNA was scattered about the scene. I was their main suspect until they were asked to supply proof that I killed her."

To his credit, Lionel's face was arranged in a perfect imitation of indignity. "You don't believe me. I saw her with my own eyes. She was missing a finger." He got up and rounded the desk to place a hand on Lex's shoulder. "How small was the DNA evidence? Why do you think I told you that I've returned before I told the press?" Lex shrank away from the physical contact, but his father's hand remained there with a firm grip. He had to push his emotions aside and consider the evidence.

It wasn't exactly legal for him to view the police report from the accident, but he had been breaking the law since he was a teenager. The DNA had been a tiny amount, but it was enough to suspect that she was dead. She had been seen entering the vehicle, and the entire debacle had been caught on the camera of a general store across the street. It was…convenient. However, Lionel had been lying to him for years, and there was no reason to start automatically believing him now without reviewing all of the evidence.

"I don't expect you to take my word for it," Lionel continued. "Here are all the necessary documents to consider. My investigative team has also seen a woman matching Lana's description in Shanghai. There are photos inside here." He handed Lex a manila folder that was sealed and unlabeled, which Lex slipped into the inside of his coat.

"I'll review these later. Did she happen to say why she kidnapped you?" Now that he mentioned it, he could see the faint impressions of bruises on Lionel's face. They looked to be covered with make-up, and the dim lighting made it hard to see them. His top lip was also swollen, and there was a line that resembled a cut running through it.

Lionel removed his hand from Lex's shoulder, but he stayed nearby to indicate that this was a private conversation. "Why do all women commit crimes? Revenge, of course. She was somewhat upset by the means of persuasion I used to keep her from escaping your wedding. Her aim was to kill me, but I managed to get away. As soon as you leave, I'll alert the press to my return."

"Why did you tell me first? I could've read about it in tomorrow's newspaper, like everything else you've ever done." Even though Lex was curious as to what means of persuasion his father was referring to, his brain was far too loaded with new information and questions for him to process another answer.

"I wanted to warn you. You are my son, and you're not known for your precautionary measures." His brown eyes deepened with the significance of his own words. "She's not rational. You're her next target. She's scheduled to leave Shanghai again in a week. She's no doubt planning how to make your life miserable since staging her own death didn't put you in prison."

It made sense. His father always did. "You're not known for your fatherly warmth. Why are you warning me?"

Lionel's eyes hardened to pinpoints of black. "Even with this meeting, I can see that your emotional weakness has increased since the last time we've spoken. It was bad with Lana, but now it's worse. You're not concerned about your own security anymore. I think the question is: who is the next Lex-girl?" His father used the taunt that was always splashed across the headlines of newspapers, and it was meant to incite him. The fact that it really did only proved his father's point.

"I may have cared about Lana, but I was never weak." His lips twitched in annoyance at the accusation.

"You don't even believe yourself," Lionel sneered. "Trust me, Lex. A relationship is the last thing you need right now, and this woman is more of a danger to you than Lana." Lex struggled not to snarl. He didn't know how his father was so perceptive. "You've let your guard down."

"I don't need dating advice," Lex snapped. The thing that bothered him the most was that his father was right. He was in denial about Kara. He pressed his lips together in irritation.

"Leave her." It sounded like a command. "You obviously don't want my involvement, so do the girl a favor."

"I don't know where you got your information from, but it's a faulty source. There's no one." It was time to leave. Before Lionel could say otherwise, Lex got into the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. Just before the doors closed, he heard his father speak under his breath.

"I never knew you had a weakness for blondes."

* * *

It wasn't difficult for Kara to find something to do in the large mansion. It had so many rooms that she couldn't possibly explore them all in one day. When something caught her attention, she would stop to play with it, though she was being closely monitored by one of the servants so that she didn't break anything.

She hadn't met this one yet, but he was hovering over the doorway to the office. Maybe he was there to make sure she didn't access any sensitive information. It wouldn't do her any good. She didn't know how to read English.

The screen in front of her had miniature holograms that consisted of people that were mostly pleasing to the eye. Those who weren't were laughed at. She found this offensive, but humans didn't seem to have as much grace as Kryptonians did. After an hour, the unidentified servant came in, pressed a few buttons on the viewing device, and made words appear that went along with the speech.

The man didn't say anything before he left, but she could hear him by the door again. The man's actions made her curious. She crawled from her seat on the carpeted floor to press the other buttons, not just the one that controlled whether the device was on or off. She found that she could manipulate the loudness of the speech as well as which holograms appeared. There were hundreds of different ones, but there was one in specific that caught her eye.

All of the humans' emotions were dramatic and easy to read. She could tell the vague notion of what was happening because of the overt tone of voice and body language that left little question. It was far more interesting than anything else she had seen. At least she could understand this, even though it was still in English. The characters on the screen must have been their alphabet and words.

She watched for hours before she drifted to sleep on the couch. She could hear everything that happened in the mansion, including voices and footsteps, but she quickly learned to tune them out.

The sun had just risen when she opened her eyes again. There was a blanket over her and a tray of food on the table in front of her. The hologram device was switched off. She stretched well before examining the food. She ignored the meat stuck between two processed slabs of grain. Instead, she turned her attention to the green stalk that didn't have any trace of animal in it. Cautiously, she bit into it. She was pleased with the earthy flavor and crunch, and it didn't take her long to wolf down what was left of it.

The clear liquid in the glass seemed harmless enough, and when she took a drink of it, she found no particular taste. It quenched her thirst and satisfied her dry throat, so she swallowed the rest in one gulp. Her stomach rumbled after a few days of no nutrition. It seemed like her powers made her extremely hungry. She found the kitchen with no trouble, though she had a hard time finding things to eat that were readily prepared.

She ate all the fresh vegetables that she could find. When those failed to fill her stomach, she went through the cabinets and found all the sweets. She was sitting on the counter eating what seemed like her hundredth cookie when Kelly entered. With her presence, Kara looked around to see just how much of a mess she made and flushed lightly in embarrassment. She was a guest in this home, and this was completely rude. Her stomach had triumphed over her brain, and the lack of food had built up until it simply boiled over.

The redhead seemed to sense Kara's sudden discomfort and spoke in a soothing tone. She turned on the music device and started to clean up. This time, the music was a mixture of fast beats and fast singing. At first, she simply swung her legs from the counter to match the beat. When she saw Kelly dancing and encouraging Kara to do so as well, she hopped off the counter and started to move her hips. She mimicked the older woman and used her own moves that were Kryptonian in heritage, but she saw several similarities between the two.

After a while, Kelly was shifting between cooking and watching Kara dance, seemingly entranced by the smooth undulations of the Kryptonian's body. Kara didn't get tired and enjoyed entertaining. Soon, appetizing aromas were permeating the air around them, and Charity had joined the crowd. Among them were rest of the servants, all six of them spread about the large kitchen. All of them watched her in a daze, but Kara was in her own world.

The music halted abruptly, and she turned to look at Lex. He seemed tense and upset. He raised his voice at the servants and yelled something in English that made them all leave. When his eyes turned on her, she could feel the icy coldness in them and backed away from him.

The look on his face was angry, to say the least, and he pushed her against the counter with his body. Each of his arms was on either side of her, and he caged her with his fury. Confusion flooded her when he kissed her. This one wasn't nearly as soft and loving as the last. It was harsh and punishing, and she felt a small sting that almost registered as pain when he bit her lips.

Her vision was spinning. She barely felt the prick in her arm before she succumbed to darkness.

When she woke up, everything was blurry. She heard a faint voice and the repetitive clicks of a primitive recording device. A few minutes passed before things became clearer. The man wearing a paper mask over his mouth was the one Lex called Dedalus. The voice was Charity's. She made calm observations while her eyes coldly scanned over Kara's body.

Something was wrong with her body. She felt like she had been ripped open. The plastic mask over her mouth muffled her whimpers, but Charity's dark blue eyes fell on her face. The bodyguard knew that Kara was awake, but she didn't care. She continued with whatever she was saying.

She heard sickening sounds. Her heartbeat seemed to be so much more audible. She could hear the sloshing of hands touching her internal organs, feeling them. She wanted to vomit. The gas she was forced to breathe in made sure that she couldn't move, so she was stuck in a hopeless situation. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to concentrate on something else. Her ability of total recall, an extremely accurate memory, allowed her to play Kelly's music in her mind with unerring precision.

It was the most disturbing sensation when her ribs were pulled closed, and then the skin was drawn together over them. The nausea began to pass. She felt her skin and bones knitting themselves together again only to find out that they weren't finished. The tray with the glowing green rocks was brought closer again, and he started to cut open her legs.

It took hours for the pair to be completely satisfied with examining her anatomy. They had turned her over and cut into her back as well. By the end of it, she passed out again from the exhaustion of trying to heal and deal with the meteor rock being so near at the same time.

It was surreal when she awoke in a comfortable bed. It was the one that was in her room. There was no cold steel table in her room and no needles either. There was no scalpel. Judging by the darkness, it was the middle of the night.

She took her time standing in the shower, an ancient model of the cleaning machines they had on Krypton. She let the scalding hot water run over her sensitized skin, which turned red under the heat. She was still not fully healed from her ordeal. The scented formulas cleaned her hair and washed her skin. She dried herself with a towel and ran the tool with the spiked bristles through her hair until it shone.

She dressed herself carelessly and only half-buttoned a white blouse over her undergarments. Her thoughts were in a haze as she numbly located Lex's heartbeat and followed it. She found him in a room with a large hologram device that was on. He sat on a couch, wide-awake, and looked at her. A warm feeling spread through her upon contact with him, and it seemed natural to slide her body onto the couch and put her head in his lap.

Her hair had dried for the most part from super speed, and the warmth expanded in her chest when he ran his fingers through it. She felt drunk, like she had imbibed one too many mood-affecting substances. She felt just as helpless now as she had on the steel table with Dedalus slicing her open while Charity narrated, but she felt safer with Lex. Despite logical reasoning, he made her feel secure, even though he was probably the one who put her in the lab in the first place.

It was too late to reverse the process and let it die off on its own. He was her mate. That was the only way she could be affected like this, all of her free will stripped away by his demand. The bond was not only physical, but mental as well. He wanted her to be submissive to him, and so she was. Bonds were lifelong. It would only die when he did.

On Krypton, finding a mate was a miraculous experience that was widely celebrated and glorified. This union only made Kara feel like there was something wrong with her. This human had done harm to her, and she remained loyal to him.

The desire to mate was overwhelming. She sat up and slid into his lap. Her instincts were guiding her as she deliberately provoked his arousal. She wetted her lips with her tongue and ran them over his while her fingers undid the buttons of his shirt. With the same fluid grace that she'd been dancing with earlier, her hips began to move against his.

It wasn't long before Lex took control of the situation. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth and nibbled on it to make it swell. His tongue then pushed into her mouth and explored every inch of it. It tangled with hers in the most pleasant way and elicited a quiet moan from her throat and a sharp jerk of her hips. His nimble fingers unbuttoned her blouse and slipped it from her body. It fell to the floor.

Shivering sensations ran through her body as he trailed his knuckles down her muscled stomach. The kiss grew more intense as she felt something hard against the most private, sensitive part of her body. Her eyes felt heavy lidded with the newfound pleasure drawn from grinding into his hardness. She barely felt his fingers undoing her bra in a split second. His fingers trailed down her arms when he removed it, and it was discarded and forgotten.

Her lips broke away from his to gasp at the prickling feeling of her coral nipples hardening to the exposed air. His hands slipped around to her back as he bowed his head. She threw hers back when she felt his tongue licking and sucking each nipple. He paid equal attention to each one, but their time seemed to be cut short when he pulled back.

The words he spoke in English sounded reassuring, and his seemingly omnipresent hands dropped to her hips and skillfully removed her thong. The next few seconds were a blur as his fingers touched her most intimate folds. This time, she nipped at him. Her teeth scraped against his neck at the powerful, almost painful pleasure spiking through her lower body. She moved her hips against his agile fingers and faintly heard a ripping sound before he stopped touching her and unzipped his pants.

He wore nothing underneath them, so his hardness was exposed to her. A smirk quirked the corner of his mouth as he slid a thin covering over it and then guided her hips over it. He slid into her slowly, and she had to take a deep breath to accommodate his girth. It felt strange, but it also sent a wave of relief over her. He pulled halfway out and thrust back into her experimentally, and she found herself straining not to cry out.

His thrusts were smooth in rhythm at first, but over time, she felt the rhythm growing more erratic. His hips drove into hers more forcefully. He pulled her hair as if to punish her, and her still-sensitive skin made it painful. The pain quickly transformed into something pleasant, however. The same stood true when he bit her nipples, and soon she couldn't muffle the sounds any longer.

She cried out with no restraint, and the moans seemed to arouse him more. His hips were pounding into hers, and she found herself on the edge of something she'd never felt before. His grip on her hips slid down to her butt, where he squeezed harder and found more leverage.

Her vision went white with an indescribable feeling of unbridled pleasure, and she went completely still against him. She felt him drive into her with a few more strokes to prolong the feeling before she felt him swell inside her. He stopped moving as well, and she kept her place in his lap as she buried her face in his neck. She was panting for the first time under the yellow sun, and she was more exhausted than ever.

* * *

Lex thought of what a bad idea this was as he was coming down from his orgasm. He had no idea what made her come to him for this, of all things, when she was intelligent enough to know what he had ordered Charity and Dedalus to do to her. He hadn't been there personally, but he had listened to Charity's findings on the digital voice recorder. Her calm, detached voice allowed him to dodge the reality of the situation. He might as well have cut her open himself.

He had her returned safe to her bed, where he assumed she would dodge him for at least a few days if not a week, so seeing her enter the entertainment room had been a surprise. With tanned legs that stretched for miles and her full breasts nearly bursting out of the shirt, it wasn't hard to succumb to his arousal and fuck her.

He didn't allow himself to be loving and gentle with her, and he could already see evidence of his rough nature in the form of bruises on her neck. It seemed that her invulnerable skin was still vulnerable from the long-term exposure to the meteor rocks. With her warm puffs of breath on his neck, he realized that she had fallen asleep against him.

What kind of woman trusted him after what he had done to her? She was devoted to him. Could it be an oddity of her alien physiology? Maybe she was in heat, like a feline would be. After seeing her dancing this morning, he'd been absolutely spellbound by her. It had taken him a while to shake it off and shut off the radio. It was risky to entrust her with anything. Lionel was right. This woman was going to be a problem.

Unless she really was faithful to him. It would take a lot for him to actually trust her, but he would monitor her activities until he decided if he could or not. For now, the warm, supple body against his wasn't doing him any harm. He carefully moved her so that he could remove the condom and clean up the mess discreetly with tissues, and then he went against his better judgment and allowed himself to fall asleep breathing in the scent of her hair.

Morning brought with it an ache in his back and a crick in his neck. He was getting too old for this. The world's opinion was that twenty-five was still young, but he doubted that the rule applied to heirs of big companies. He looked down to see that the blonde bombshell in his lap was already awake. Her sleepy blue eyes were directed toward the window, and the rays of sunshine coming through the stained glass painted patterns on her golden skin.

"Hi." The greeting startled him. Two days ago, she didn't know any English. She must have picked this up from her hours of channel surfing. He had Damien keeping an eye on her while he was gone or working. Damien was his butler and newest employee, but Lex felt that he could trust him. After all, Damien had lost his job working security for Luthorcorp and had a vendetta against Lionel.

Hearing Kara speak English made him smile. "Hi," he responded and stroked her hair. She probably didn't know much yet, but her intelligence was higher than normal. Even though she had come here knowing nothing about this planet, she had an amazing ability to adapt and learn other languages easily. It was a skill that was valuable in business. "How are you?"

She hesitated for a moment. Her eyes went to the ceiling, and he realized that she was trying to review her options. "Good." His hand trailed down the smooth skin of her back. There were no tiny hairs there, much like his own skin.

"What's your name?" He sought to test her learning abilities, but her grasp on the English language improving meant that they could better communicate. He could learn more about her culture, where she came from, and he could teach her what she couldn't learn from watching soap operas.

"Kara Zor-El. What's your name?" she echoed fairly easily. She didn't have the inflection that most native speakers would have and was missing the emphasis on 'your.' He was still impressed and rewarded her with a kiss on the forehead.

"Lex Luthor." He idly wondered about the origin of her last name. Did she have a middle name, or was that impractical in other cultures? His hesitation allowed her to ask him another question.

"Where am I?" Damn, she really was fast.

"Smallville. In Kansas." He could tell by the wide-eyed look in her eyes that she didn't understand the distinction between the two, but she would learn that later. He looked down at his watch with the Napoleon coin embedded inside and realized that he needed to get going. "I have to go to work."

She seemed to understand the concept of leaving. He watched her fluidly move from his lap and find her discarded clothes. She didn't hide her nakedness and wasn't ashamed of her body. That was new. He zipped himself up and spared himself the subtle torture of watching her put on clothes instead of removing them. Instead, he stood up and leaned down to kiss her nose in their newfound tradition. He usually wouldn't allow himself to be so sentimental, but he had decided to give her a chance.

After all, he was the only one on this planet that knew of her existence. Except for his father. Either the comment about blondes had been a phenomenally lucky guess or he was spying on Lex. He put it out of his mind for the moment and took in the small curve of Kara's lips that formed a shy smile. "Bye."

"Bye," she mimicked with a glint in her eye, and he gave her an amused glance before leaving to go to work. Suddenly, the crap factory, Luthorcorp Plant #3, didn't seem so interesting anymore. This was the risk his father was talking about. He had to be careful not to let her interfere with his business.

* * *

Kara had never felt more satisfied in her life. Sleeping with Lex, both literally and figuratively, gave her a fresh attitude on staying in the mansion. Of course, she wasn't going to stay inside all the time, but it would make her time here a little more bearable, knowing that Lex wasn't heartless. Either he wasn't involved in the experiment that cut her open or he felt that it was necessary.

At that thought, she jutted her chin into the air. She was a Kryptonian of the House of El. No one should decide what to do with her body. She was the only one with that right. Her emotions and affection for Lex were clouding her judgment. She needed to get back on task and find Kal-El. That was her current focus, and it would stay that way, she told herself. If Lex allowed Dedalus to harm her again like that, she would leave permanently.

It would be painful to tear herself away from her mate. The bonding process was nowhere near complete, but she still felt a strong attachment to him. The bond would grow stronger with time, and it would get harder and harder to leave him. She would have to make sure that he had his priorities straight, with her safety in mind, or leave early.

The short conversation encouraged her. Obviously, he was pleased with what had happened last night. She couldn't see him as a monster. Her father's words echoed in her mind, which reminded her not to trust so easily. It was one of her flaws on Krypton as well. It was hard not to trust when she was on a foreign planet with no knowledge of the language and customs. Lex was the only one who hadn't met her with hostility, but admiration. He felt something for her, no matter how hard he wanted to hide it.

After Lex left, Kara cleaned herself again. She enjoyed standing under the scalding water until she felt better inside. Right after she dressed herself in a red tank top with lace accents and black pants, she found the unknown servant standing outside her door. She was unsure of his purpose there until he inclined his head, indicating that she should follow him.

The man wasn't particularly tall, but he was intimidating. His blonde hair was slicked back against his head, which made the color of his green eyes pop against the landscape of his face. His cheekbones were high and gave him somewhat of a haughty look, but he carried the stature of a clever man who knew what he was doing. They went through the back door. There was a greenhouse to the right, and she could already smell the aromatic flowers inside.

They kept walking straight, and after a good five minutes of walking, they reached a small building. Kara was thrilled with what she saw inside. They were rather large animals, and they reminded her of what royal Kryptonians rode. She petted the nose of a sandy-colored one with a white streak on its nose. It made a strange sound that seemed to mean that it was pleased. Inside, she could feel a burst of joy as well. She was so caught up in stroking its pale blonde mane that she didn't notice another man behind her.

The bearded brunette said something to her in a somewhat haughty tone that she didn't acknowledge. She simply kept petting the animal. Maybe if she ignored enough people, they would figure out that she didn't speak English. The next thing that came from his mouth made her jump.

"(It's not polite to ignore your elders, Kara Zor-El.)" The man spoke fluent Kryptonian! Overjoyed, Kara turned around with widened eyes. The man gave a small nod, as if he were giving her permission to speak.

"(Who are you? How do you know my name?)" She had to stop more questions from pouring out of her. How many Kryptonians were there on Earth? She was under the impression that she and Kal-El were the last ones. Obviously, she was wrong. This man and the dark-haired man who had attacked her days ago were living proof.

"(I am Lionel Luthor, Lex's father. Your uncle, Jor-El, once used my body as a vessel. As a result, I am quite fluent in Kryptonian.)" At the mention of Jor-El's name, Kara flinched. Her uncle was always warm to her until the last few days before Krypton fell. He and her father, Zor-El, had gotten into a fight. Her father never liked her hanging around Jor-El and Lara. "(Don't fret, child. Your uncle carries fond memories of you.)"

"(I need to find my cousin. He is Jor-El's son. His name is Kal-El.)" The name made Lionel's eyebrows shoot into the air. "(He is just a child. Please.)" She would beg if the situation called for it. Even speaking her cousin's name made her heart ache for the lost child, and she cursed having forgotten him during her stay at the castle.

"(You cannot find him because you are looking for a child, Kara. Kal-El has grown into a man. He has been here for quite a while and is living with a woman named Martha Kent. He calls himself Clark.)" Lionel seemed omniscient. Maybe it was the combination of his earthly heritage and the gained Kryptonian knowledge. And Kal-El was no longer in danger. He had grown up already.

A pang of disappointment registered in her chest, and the thought that Kal-El had no one while he was growing up made tears glisten in her eyes. She was supposed to be his guardian, but she must have arrived on Earth later than planned. Her father must have been lying to her when he said that the black crystals would travel at the same rate as the living ones. She could not blame him for wanting her to live, no matter what the conditions.

Lionel examined her carefully. "(You were meant to raise him, weren't you?)" She nodded in response and tried in vain to hide her tears. "(Kal-El has grown into a good man. He will take you in when I explain the situation.)" This felt wrong. He wasn't supposed to take her in. She was supposed to be taking care of him! Now the roles were reversed. She knew that suspended animation made her sixteen years old, even though it had been many years since her planet died.

"(Why must I leave this place?)" This man said that he was Lex's father. Why wasn't he meeting her inside the house? It seemed like the mansion was empty most of the time. It was Dedalus, Charity, and a few servants. Lex never had any friends stopping by. It had only been a couple of days, but she hadn't seen anyone visit. Where were his friends and the rest of his family?

"(My son is not the best guardian for you.)" She looked at him in disbelief. On Krypton, they may have had family disputes, but they did not degrade the status of their family. They were almost always loving parents and children at the core of their relationships. "(It may seem…unusual to you, but I am telling the truth. He doesn't have the ability to love someone. He will only use you as a means to get what he wants.)"

"(I have already started to bond with him.)" There was an edge to her voice, something that came from being tense and confused. "(Kryptonians mate for life. If I leave now, it will always feel like something is missing.)" She had once heard the story of a Kryptonian man falling in love with a human woman who didn't return his love. It was said that he lived out his days in so much pain that he constantly asked to be killed. The woman hadn't fared well either. She died of mysterious causes. The storytellers always embellished it and said that her heart had grown so shrunken and black that it refused to beat anymore. It was considered a crime to leave one's mate on Krypton because of the psychological effects it had on both parties.

"(If you don't leave now, it will hurt twenty times as much later.)" Was this Lionel Luthor wise or disillusioned? He spoke every sentence as if it were the absolute truth. His posture held much conviction. He believed what he said, but was it really true? "(He will charm you. Maybe he will even marry you. But you cannot entrust him with your secrets or your life. You are destined for something greater than being my son's consort, and he will drag you into darkness with him.)"

Kara's lip trembled. "(One Kryptonian has already attacked me and left me to die from the green crystals. Why should I trust a human who speaks the Kryptonian tongue?)" It was all about trust. She hated it so far. Trusting Lex was so easy when she probably shouldn't, and trusting someone else to help her was so hard. Lex had not lied to her, but he had ordered Dedalus to cut her open. Was the command as terrible as the act? "(How do I know who to trust?)"

Lionel's dark eyes focused on her and had a way of making her feel like the center of attention in the middle of a crowd. "(The only Kryptonian on Earth other than you is Kal-El. He has somewhat of a savior complex. Recently, Kryptonians had been escaping from the Phantom Zone and coming here. Perhaps he thought that you were one of those.)" His aged hand rested on her shoulder gently. "(I know how confusing this is. I have been a horrible man in the past, but I am trying to put things right. However, it seems that my son has finally decided to step up and become what I'd always wanted him to be.)"

"(It was Kal-El who attacked me?)" Now that she thought of the incident, she recognized a lot of Jor-El in the angry Kryptonian. "(You're asking me to trust him now? I would have died were it not for the intervention of your son. He has not hurt me. He is only trying to teach me, and in return, he wants me to teach him. What damage can learning about another's culture do?)" She was fed up with her circumstances. Part of her wanted to go back into the mansion and hide, to lie down on a couch and watch television, but ignorance was never a good idea. Even if this man was her enemy, knowledge was a good thing.

Lionel inhaled sharply. "(Kal-El tries to protect those around him. His friends and family couldn't be safer. It is when someone endangers them that he hurts people. I am sorry that your entry into this world was not as easy as Kal-El's, but you cannot trust Lex. He will take your knowledge and use it against you. He will do the same with your love.)" The older man sighed. "(I cannot convince you of his nature, but I can try and prove my worth. I will bring Kal-El to visit you tomorrow at one o'clock. Damien will bring you.)" He nodded at the servant, who bowed in response. "(Unfortunately, I am a busy man. I cannot afford to be here to translate. Once you see Kal-El, you will know that he is a good man.)"

"(I am his family. I am his cousin. He should not have hurt me!)" She was angry. She had a right to be angry after getting attacked and being left for dead. If Lex hadn't picked her up, she would have died on the road. "(I will visit with Kal-El, but I cannot promise anything. Your son has saved my life, and I have saved his. There is little that will stand in the way of our bond, vessel of Jor-El, but you can be assured that I will be careful of his curiosity.)" She turned back to the sandy colored creature and ran her hand down its silky pelt. "(What is the name for this creature?)"

"Horse," Lionel said simply, and Kara repeated the word under her breath. "(You must not tell Lex of our visit. He will not be pleased with my presence, but he will be outraged if he finds Kal-El on the property. They are enemies.)" Just when she was beginning to comprehend the fact that a father and son could hate each other, she found out that her cousin and her mate were enemies. She swallowed hard and tried valiantly not to let the tears in her eyes fall. Lionel touched her cheek this time, and the look in his eyes was soothing. "(It will be so hard for you. I am truly sorry, child.)"

It only took a few moments for Lionel to leave. In the distance, she heard blades chopping at the air. Kara breathed a heavy sigh, and the horse nuzzled her, as if it knew what she was feeling. One last stroke and Damien was leading her back into the mansion. Now that she had gotten a chance to look at the property, she saw that it was beautiful. It seemed to stretch for miles. There was a pond in the back and a forest beyond that. That wasn't including the empty plains on either side. The air was fresh, and the environment seemed to create a pleasant buzz inside her.

She halted when they reached the greenhouse, and she motioned to Damien that she was going inside. He nodded and retreated into the house while she found what seemed like another world. There were beautiful flowers and plants everywhere, and the aroma hit her all at once.

The flowers were so different from one another, but they came together to form a cacophony of beauty all the same. There were thick, fat ones that she could smell from across the room and thin, delicate ones that she had to sniff up close. The petals came in so many different colors. Some were just one, while others had several splashed on them like paint. There were various shapes and sizes, some coming to a point and some seeming to circle in on themselves like an endless puzzle. There were those that widened themselves by stretching as far as they possibly could and others that bunched in with several layers of soft, silky skin.

She gently touched all of them, and she found herself mesmerized for what seemed like hours. She had to sniff each and every one and learn how they were different from the others, whether it was by size, color, or smell. The other plants looked exotic. There were types ranging from thick leaves to thin needles and beakers with liquid in them by almost every single one. She didn't touch the small, glass containers for fear that she would break them and ruin whatever research was being done in here.

The air was hot and muggy, but it didn't bother her. Her skin was resilient to temperature, and the shining sun was the source of her strength. The entire greenhouse intrigued her. It was like a big chunk of all the earth had to offer, and it was vastly unlike the cold crystals of her home planet. She once thought that the lifeless rocks held warmth, but upon seeing all that the greenhouse had to offer, she had changed her mind. This was the epitome of comforting scenery.

Kara smiled brightly and pushed the bad thoughts from Lionel's meeting from her mind. She left the greenhouse and flew into the air.

* * *

Lex spent a fairly uneventful day doing paperwork and acquiring stocks. His victory was slowly coming to fruition. Within the next month, the Smallville plant would be putting out two-hundred percent of profit. He had a feeling that Lionel wouldn't be stepping down from Luthorcorp's throne anytime soon, but Lex didn't need it anymore. He had been managing Lexcorp, and that was one of the most successful businesses in the country.

The main building was in Metropolis, but Lex was seldom there unless there was an emergency. While micro-managing the plant, his main focus was on his own company stomping all over Luthorcorp. Not only did they sell fertilizer, but they had expanded to produce a whole host of other products. For the first time in his life, Lex didn't need the inheritance he'd received from his mother when he turned eighteen. His father's business-related threats didn't hold any weight anymore.

He had been very careful not to check the Blackberry in his pocket all day, but now that he was driving home, he felt that it was acceptable to check up on his investment. Dedalus was itching to do more tests, and Lex had agreed that tonight was a good time, barring some kind of extenuating circumstances. Like Kara being in South America. He made sure that the road was completely clear before looking down at the screen again in bewilderment.

The streets were all in Portuguese, and when he zoomed out, the red blip was indeed in the southern hemisphere. They would have to measure how fast she could fly. Certainly quicker than any private jet in current existence. The thought thrilled the scientist in him. If he could isolate the genes that made her special, he could figure out how to give everyone else the same abilities. If not, he was still in possession of the single deadliest weapon on this planet.

When he pulled into the garage, the location suddenly jumped across the globe on the screen. She was in India. He hadn't even seen the dot move until it was in an entirely different location. So apparently, she was extremely fast. After locking up his car, he went into the castle and found Charity looking somewhat dazed.

"What has she been doing all day?" His curiosity was gnawing at him. What was she doing traveling to other countries? He thought that she understood that she was staying here. He doubted that a creature of her intelligence couldn't find her way back home, but he had to know what she was doing.

"After you left, she was in the study for quite some time watching TV. She visited the greenhouse and flew off after that. Damien said that she came back a few times, but only for a moment. He could barely see her." Charity turned her vicious eyes on him. The depth in her eyes was like the roiling of an ocean. "What the hell is going on, sir? Shouldn't there be some kind of containment for her?" She was the only one of his servants who was allowed to get away with speaking like that to him.

If she wasn't a hell of a good shot, she would've been fired on the spot. Instead, Lex returned her questions with an icy glare. "Kara is not here as a prisoner, but as a guest. She can come and go as she pleases, but I would rather not have the outside world knowing about her just yet."

"Then tell her to stop flying in broad daylight," she snapped. When something wasn't in her control, she got pissed off about it. "With all due respect, sir, you should keep your meteor freak on a leash." Anger flared up in him, and before he knew what he was doing, Charity had a mouth full of blood and nowhere to spit. The punch was especially well-placed, and it made his knuckles ache, but they would heal.

"If you want to keep your job, you'll stay the fuck out of my way for the week. You're on vacation as of five minutes ago." His voice had a sharp edge to it, and if she knew what was good for her, she would follow orders. With one hand over her mouth, she staggered out to the servant's quarters. Despite his outburst of anger, it was still simmering inside of him. He wanted to throw something. His left hand was trembling with the need for more violence.

He should've noticed her standing at the top of the stairs sooner. Always beautiful golden hair was cascading over one shoulder without any hint that she'd been flying faster than a speeding bullet. Her eyes were not confused in the least. They were struck with understanding. He watched Kara descend by floating down the stairs. Her bare feet met carpet again directly in front of him, and she did something that he wasn't expecting.

Before he knew it, he found himself in a hug. It wasn't the awkward kind that he was used to for Lionel's PR rating, but one that was actually comforting. He relaxed into her short frame and buried his nose in her hair. She smelled like fresh, exotic flowers. He half-wondered if he was hallucinating, but then his mind pieced together the facts. She had flown off right after visiting the greenhouse. Maybe she was collecting flowers.

The ruthless businessman in him told him that this was everything he shouldn't have with her, that this mushy, sentimental shit was a waste of his precious time. But something else beneath the surface stirred. He wanted to believe that this was because having her closer to him would allow her to better trust him, which would help him in the end, but the logical side ruled. He simply enjoyed her presence. She was strange, foreign, everything that he wasn't, and yet she fit into his life so perfectly. Could he afford to have an emotional stake in this?

The anger slowly died down. This was irrational. Still, he couldn't help rubbing the back of his fingers against the small of her back. He leaned back and looked down into her eyes, and he could see some tension in her eyes from what had transpired with Charity. Lately, it had been more difficult to control his temper. His outbursts were more frequent, more things were getting broken, and he was drinking more than ever to calm himself down. If he wanted to tell himself the truth, it was brooding that he was doing while drinking all that scotch, not relaxing.

"Why are you mad?" Her voice was soft and careful, as if she knew she was treading uneasy waters. There was no real fear coming from her, which was definitely something that he wasn't used to during one of his infamous temper tantrums. Yet another way she was completely and totally unique.

"It was something Charity said." He left it at that. He didn't need to give the seemingly innocent girl any more information about him and his weak points. She was already one of them. "What were you doing today?" He noticed that her eyes lit with the change of subject and that his misdirection had worked.

"Exploring." Her eyes were so interesting. They were so unlike the dull, bored eyes of his girl of the week. There was intelligence behind the mischief. When he prompted her for more information with a slight nod of his head, however, those incredibly expressive eyes filled with confusion and thought. She hadn't learned much English, but it was amazing to see what she had already learned in her days on this planet. "Horse," she blurted out with a slight blush. He gave her a small smile. She was obviously flustered by her struggle.

"Ah. You went to see the stables. I haven't seen them myself in a while." She seemed to get the gist of what he was saying. "What else?" She hesitated and wrung her hands. "Show me." He released her from their long embrace and motioned his arm toward the stairs. He got a brilliant smile in return, a flash of her perfect teeth, before she grabbed his hand and nearly pulled him up the stairs.

It was any female's dream. Kara's room had every flower species in existence arranged on the dresser and every other flat surface in the room. Even the bed was covered in petals. They weren't the clichéd rose petals; rather, they were an assortment of different flowers. The flowers were a splash of color in an otherwise drab room, and he couldn't blame her for wanting to improve it. What got his curiosity running was her drive to make the room individual compared to the others, whether subconscious or not. Was it some kind of cultural instinct to, in a sense, mark her territory?

While his mind was still reeling from the shock of the amount of flowers she had collected, she had done some thinking of her own. He saw a frown mar that beautiful smile. "You don't like it." She had taken his usual mask of indifference for displeasure, and he had to rectify the situation. He had the sudden urge to make it better before he caused her any kind of discomfort.

"I like it," he said quickly. More sincerely, he tilted her chin up gently with one finger and placed a soft kiss on her full lips. She was completely bewitching with her soft voice, creamy skin, and golden hair. He was absolutely enticed with her, whether he wanted to admit it to himself or not.

For the first time in his life, Lex Luthor made love with the woman of his dreams. The flowers began to wither and die the next morning.


	3. Reparations

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part One****: Shadow of a Secret**

**Disclaimer****: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, Lionel Luthor, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics.**

**Chapter Three****: Reparations**

Kara was quickly growing attached to sleeping with a warm body next to hers, especially with Lex's arms wrapped around her. Last night had been the most wonderful feeling in her life. It had been clear that something had changed between them, but she knew that it would have to be kept unspoken. Lex Luthor was a complicated man, and if all humans were this complex, she would have to spend years getting to know their way of thought.

She slept through the night without a problem. Usually, small sounds throughout the mansion would wake her up, but she was at such peace that she didn't awaken until Lex shifted her body so that he could get up. Her tired eyes opened with massive protest. The sun was just rising, and her body told her that she needed more sleep. She watched Lex disappear into her private bathroom and then stretched out across the bed.

She was used to waking with the sun each morning, but her mind was fatigued. With all that Lionel had shared with her yesterday, she had a lot to think about. She could feel the bond growing ever stronger. He was right. If there was ever a time to leave, it would be now. Yet she found herself putting it off when she was greeted with the sight of a sleepy Lex. His eyes were half-closed, and he had a drowsy smile on his face when he leaned down to give her a feather-light kiss.

She thought that he might rejoin her when his eyes passed over her bare body, but he murmured something about the office. The experience she had with language told her that he would be in the room with the computer and television in it that he spent most of his time in when he was home. A small smile graced her face when he studied her for a reaction, and he continued to get dressed. He touched her chin and told her that she could come if she wanted to before he left the room.

She planned on going to the office right after she cleaned herself. The warm water was as calming as it was refreshing, and it woke her up more than she expected. After she dried herself, she dressed herself in a dark violet silk blouse, black dress pants, and black sneakers that were made of fine quality. They certainly weren't the worn things she'd seen on the feet of the children at the different playgrounds she'd visited in her misguided search for her not-so-little cousin. She left her hair down. From what she gathered, it was Lex's favorite style. He loved to run his fingers through it.

Her heart sped up at the thought of meeting Kal-El today, even if Lionel had promised her that he was a generous individual. Her father had been fairly menacing in comparison to Jor-El; what if Kal-El was the same way? She easily recalled the anger in his aquamarine eyes and how easily he dispatched her. She had only been exposed to the yellow sun for a few days. He had been here for years. What chance did she have if he became hostile again? Her oceanic eyes were filled with mistrust as she pensively stared back at her reflection.

Hopefully, nothing like that would happen. As much as she didn't like it, she would have to put faith in the unknown. She'd never felt more estranged from people in her life. Even having Lex there as a constant presence didn't help. In one light, she could trust him, but when that light changed, he could just as easily hurt her. She was trapped in a life that she could easily escape, but what awaited her outside the castle walls? No one would possibly be as patient with her as Lex was, and he told her that he was going to start teaching her more English. With another, she would risk exposing her identity as an otherworldly creature. With him, at least she knew that he would keep his findings to himself.

She hoped. He seemed to have more emotion invested in the situation than just scientific curiosity. She hoped that the bond between them wasn't just her burden to bear, as selfish as the thought was. It would make him care about 

what happened to her. She traced the symbol on her silver bracelet. It was the crest of the House of El. She was missing Krypton more than ever.

She was going to join Lex in his office, but Damien was standing outside her door. She raised an eyebrow. Lex was still here. She figured that Lionel would set up the time to be when he was at work. Hadn't Lionel told her that they were enemies? With tentative steps, she followed Damien out to the stables. She felt anxious when she entered the small space and saw Kal-El standing there.

Instead of being focused in anger, his aqua green eyes were slightly widened in concern and shock. He was wearing bright colors that stood out even in the darkness of the stables. He was wearing a red jacket over a blue shirt, and his pants were rough and blue. They were a different fabric from her smoother pants. He wore boots that may have been tan once, but now they were a muddy color that was a mixture of gray and brown.

She looked closer at his facial features now that he wasn't moving. He had round eyes and full lips that looked much like her own. His jet black hair was kept fairly short and swept away from his face. He was at least a foot taller than her, which became much more apparent when he stepped closer to her. It seemed to be an experimental move, but she made no hostile response. She tried to smile, but it came out uncertain.

"Hi." He made the first greeting, and she found his voice soothing. It was an octave lower than Lex's, and it seemed to come more from his chest than his throat. She nervously slipped her hands into the slits in her pants – pockets, she remembered.

"Hello, Kal-El." He jerked like she had cursed at him. It wasn't anger she saw in his eyes as she feared. It was fear. She frowned. She didn't want to fail at this first encounter with her lost cousin and her only link to Krypton.

"Clark," he corrected her almost immediately. "It's, uh, Clark here on Earth. Not many people know that I'm from Krypton." She nodded quickly to show that she understood. Lex had chided her yesterday for not saying anything when she didn't know what he was saying. 

"Okay. I'm Kara Zor-El." She bounced on her toes. She'd picked up many things from watching the television. Lex told her the proper word for it. She was trying to use it.

"Kara," he repeated. She liked the way he said it, like he was considering if it was a good name. "Lionel said that you're my cousin."

"Yes. Jor-El was my uncle." She searched for that word, and now she knew it. Cousin. Her nerves made her mind go blank, and she reverted to the one word she could think of. "You like horse?" She walked over to her favorite one, the sandy one.

He nodded and slowly joined her in petting the horse's nose. "I like horses." After he corrected her, she mumbled the correction after him. It was Lex's influence. He was a good teacher. "We have some where I live. It's a farm, a place where we raise animals."

He had big, strong hands that easily covered hers. She didn't flinch at the touch. "What is animals?" Kal-El – Clark, she mentally corrected herself – had horses too. She liked this one, though. 

"Animals are like horses. Cats, dogs, chickens, cows." She knew a few of those names from commercials. Apparently, animals were the lower species on Earth. She liked them a lot so far.

"Cats, like Meow Mix? I like dogs. Do you have dogs on the farm?" Suddenly, she was excited. Maybe she could sneak over to Clark's farm and play with the other animals. Lex didn't have dogs or cats.

"Yes, like Meow Mix. I have one dog. His name is Shelby." Clark's body was warmer than Lex's, like hers. He was also stronger than Lex, but he wasn't nearly as tense. She was leaning against the door of her horse's stable, and Clark was a comfortable three inches from her. 

"Shelby," she repeated. "That's a good name." He studied her for a moment.

"Kara, do you like living here?" He asked the question carefully.

"Yes. Lex is a good teacher." She looked down at the ground shyly. She didn't know if Clark would get mad at her for mentioning Lex.

"Yes, he is." Even though he agreed, his eyes were still worried. She wondered if he was always concerned for others rather than himself. Lionel said that he protected his friends and family above all else, and she supposed she might be a part of that now. "Has he ever seen you using your powers?"

"What is powers?" She was unsure of herself again. Her grasp of English wasn't enough, even though she studied a lot so that she could know more for Kal-El.

"Special things that only you can do. Lifting heavy things, running really fast." She brightened immediately.

"Yes. I made Lex fly one time. He doesn't like it." She was smiling until she noticed that Clark looked saddened by her response. "He likes seeing them. Watching."

"You should be careful. Does Lex know what you are?" She understands careful. It's too late for careful. He knows her more than she knows herself.

"I don't know." When she looked down again, Clark put one of his strong hands on her cheek.

"It's not your fault. It was wrong for me to attack you." He was struggling for language that was simple so that she would comprehend what he was saying, and it was working. A soft smile touched her lips.

"Lex saved me." He winced at that. "Kryptonite was in my skin. I was almost dying. Dedalus got rid of it." She was grasping for words, but her limited vocabulary made it difficult to say what she wanted to say.

"Who's Dedalus?" The frown marred her smile. She didn't mean to tell him about Dedalus.

"He's like a doctor." The soap operas were good at hospital scenes. "He looked inside me."

Clark's eyes immediately went to hers. She wanted to look away. A flush went through her cheeks. "What do you mean?"

"He cut me. Charity too. They looked at my bones and stuff." Her lip quivered. Clark's mouth was set into a firm line.

"I'm getting you out of here. You can live with me, and I'll teach you, okay?" His voice sounded shaky. He really did care for her.

"Clark." When he tugged on her arm, she stepped back. He showed no sign of releasing her arm. "Kal-El!" Her protest made him turn and look at her for a moment.

"Isn't this a coincidence?" Lex stood in the doorway leading to the stables. His glaring eyes were all on Clark. He knew that Kara was scared, and she couldn't understand him. He planned on using that to his advantage. "Clark Kent, the boy wonder who's always hiding something, meets up with my newly acquired extraterrestrial."

He was pleased by the fact that Clark's fear was almost palpable. He decided to draw out the moment by casually striding over to Kara. He took her face gently in his hands and kissed her hard. When he turned his head to explore her mouth, his eyes went to Clark. They were mocking him, and he was claiming Kara as his. "Mmm." He ran his hand down her cheek and then faced Clark again. "She tastes so sweet, Clark. Or is it Kal-El?"

Clark's fear turned to disbelief and then anger. Lex smirked at his former best friend's silence. He hoped that if he didn't acknowledge it, Lex's knowledge of it would go away. "She fucks like a dream." It was a statement that was meant to incite him, and it worked. Clark let out a hoarse cry and moved faster than anything Lex had ever seen, even faster than Kara. The blur pinned his body against the wall and wrapped an impossibly strong hand around his neck. Lex could feel deadly pressure on his trachea.

"Clark!" Lex smiled. Kara was loyal to him, even after what Dedalus and Charity had done to her. She placed a hand on his shoulder and looked him straight in the eye. "Don't. It won't fix things." He admired how much English she had learned during the amount of time she had been here. It was amazing compared to standard learning rates. Clark pursed his lips before he dropped Lex to the ground. Besides knocking the breath out of him, it did nothing harmful.

Lex coughed and gulped in air. Kara offered him a hand, and he took it as he stood back up. "What's the matter? Is she your sister?"

"Cousin," Kara corrected. She was ambitious. Clark sent a disappointed look her way, but Lex shot her a smile. 

"So you really are a fucking alien." He almost couldn't believe it. Clark wasn't denying it anymore. Lex had a feeling that he'd broken something in Clark, and he was eternally proud of himself for it. "I think we all need to have a discussion."

"Horses?" He loved the hope in her voice. Unlike Clark's feigned innocence, he found himself attracted to Kara's pure, guileless innocence. He wanted to devour it and leave it alone to grow all at once.

"Yes, horses. We can go riding." She smiled, perfect teeth and all, and hugged him tightly. He was tempted to further piss Clark off, but then he might not get the answers he wanted. When Kara went to talk to "her" horse in her own little language, Clark decided he had something to say.

"If you tell a soul, I'll rip your little black heart out," he nearly growled. Lex believed him. "I don't care what Kara thinks of you. I've seen you destroy everything you love."

"Don't worry, E.T." It was in a teasing tone, but not one that he used with Kara. This one was a little colder. "I just want to satisfy my own scientific curiosity. Don't you want to be best friends again?" It was a completely sarcastic remark, and before Clark could create a retort, Kara's impatient voice echoed in the stables.

"Horses, Lex!" She was somewhat impatient, but he couldn't blame her. He couldn't wait to unfold all of Clark's secrets and find out what all he had been hiding over the years of their friendship.

"Damien!" The servant was standing right outside. He had assigned Damien to keep a close watch over Kara, and he was rewarded when Damien called him down here. "Get Comet, Zeus, and Pandora ready. Cancel all my appointments for the day."

Kara watched Damien carefully as her horse was led out of its stall. That one was Comet. He'd named the thing on a whim, but it seemed to fit well with her. Clark was watching him. Annoyance made his skin prickle. "What?"

"Nothing." Clark was lying again. Lex had all the truth he needed.

"Don't! That hurts him." Damien looked at Lex, puzzled. He was holding the bridle in his hands. Lex mentally added animal empathy to Kara's extensive list of abilities.

"Use the one without the bit." Damien nodded, and Lex found himself being pulled aside by his archenemy. Before he could command Clark not to touch him, the taller man spoke in a hushed tone.

"You really care about her, don't you?" He frowned. Clark was more perceptive than he remembered. Then again, shedding the dumb farm boy act might have contributed to that.

"Yes. She saved my life." He restrained himself from adding that she was sweet. "I owe her my kindness for what I've put her through already." It was the first time he'd admitted that truth to himself, much less anyone else.

"Then don't hurt her anymore, Lex. I don't mind the experiments as long as she doesn't mind them, but I don't want you using any more Kryptonite on her. You're confusing her." That surprised him. He thought that Clark would be completely against any more experiments at all.

"I've already drawn blood and studied her anatomy." At Clark's glare, Lex shrugged. "I don't see any reason to use the Kryptonite anymore."

"Good. I want to visit her. Often. If she's going to live with you, I need to make sure that you're taking care of her." Damn, he didn't think that Clark would let her live here. He must've seen something more in Lex's expression than Lex did himself. "If it were my choice, she would be coming back to the farm with me. But I think it's more discreet if we keep her here."

"I never imagined that you would know anything about discreet." Clark shot him another dirty look. "But I agree. The only visitor I have is my father, and he already knows about her, yes?" He knew that his assumption was correct when he didn't see fear in Clark's eyes. "He brought you here."

Damien interrupted. "The horses are ready, Mr. Luthor. Shall I keep an eye on you?" He looked nervously at Clark.

"That won't be necessary. Keep an eye on things at the castle." Lex walked over to Zeus and mounted the jet black horse. His coat was silky from being brushed daily, and his mane and tail were cut in war style. Both were short. The tail had been amputated some to create the short, professional appearance that was bound in leather.

Clark mounted Pandora just as easily. It was a white horse with brown spots. She caught his eye because she was such an amalgam of everything that was supposed to be ugly in a purebred horse, but she was lean and beautiful. Her and Comet's manes and tails were left in the traditional way and weren't cut at all.

Kara had watched the other two and put her foot in the stirrup. Lifting herself was easy, Lex surmised, because of her superhuman strength. She managed to swing her other foot over a bit awkwardly, but she was successful. "Good job," Clark praised. She smiled. That smile was normally reserved for him, and he felt a pang of jealousy toward Clark. They were cousins. Clark the morally high-and-mighty would never know her like Lex did.

Clark started them out of the stable and went toward the wide path that wound through the forest surrounding the Luthor mansion. He had explored it a few times himself, and it was a good length. Kara looked so at peace riding Comet. When he turned, she wasn't even using the reins to guide him.

"Can you talk to Comet, Kara?" She nodded, as if it were all natural. He looked at Clark and found surprise in his features. "Can you do that?"

"No. I can't fly either." Clark almost sounded envious of her abilities, but then he gave Lex a small smile. He was unsure of whether Lex would accept it. Lex simply nodded and gave the same tight smile back. Maybe they could start being friends again once Clark laid everything out in the open. It was a foolish thought. They were both in this for the same thing, and her name was Kara.

"If you don't mind me asking, what _can_ you do?" Gone was the scientific businessman only interested in making his conquest upon the world. Instead, he was trying to be a person again. Clark didn't seem so guarded anymore. Now that Lex knew his secret and promised he wouldn't blab it to the world, Clark's posture was relaxed on top of Pandora.

"I grew up with superhuman strength, speed, and invulnerability to everything but Kryptonite. Along the way, I guess you can say I acquired heat vision, x-ray vision, super breath, super hearing…And sometimes I float in my sleep." Lex's mind was bursting with questions. How fast? How strong? But he would hopefully get those answers from Kara with more harmless experiments. "Oh, and Kryptonite is the meteor rock. There are different colors that affect us in different ways."

Lex's interest went through the roof. "I knew there were different colors and types, but how do they affect you? Green weakens you. What about the rest?" Kara was quietly listening. Comet was trotting behind Zeus and Pandora, and Kara seemed content to admire the scenery and listen to the conversation.

Clark's eyes visibly darkened. "I've had a lot of bad times under the influence of those rocks, Lex. I hope you won't use them on Kara and just take my word for it. I don't want her to go through that." He frowned. "Red brings out the bad side of me. When I crashed the engagement party for you and Lana, I was on it. A lot of the times I wore it, I ran away to Metropolis. I robbed a couple of banks the summer your plane crashed on that deserted island."

It must've been hard to admit all that. "I'm sorry for all the blame and suspicion, Clark. If I would've known what you were going through, perhaps I wouldn't have been so ready to hate you for everything." It was a strained apology, but it was one that made Clark nod his head.

"I don't think we're ready to forgive each other yet, but it's a start. Once, I got a splinter of silver Kryptonite in my finger, and it made me really paranoid. I was ready to turn against the world. Blue makes me powerless. Black was what you used in that experiment where you split into two people. One good and one bad. It's all a part of you, but it divides it all into good and evil."

"Alexander and Lex," he said to himself. The evil part of him, Alexander, had locked Lex away in a room for days. It wasn't one of the most pleasant experiences. "It all sounds amazing and terrible at the same time. No wonder you act like you have the world on your shoulders. You've been playing the hero all this time, haven't you?"

"Yes. A lot of people say that I shouldn't, but then I see someone get hurt, and I have to act. I can't choose my battles. I'm the only one who can help when there's a dangerous meteor freak around." His voice bore all the guilt in the world. Lex wondered how many people Clark couldn't save.

"Or if I get kidnapped by an ex-girlfriend or former employee." Clark smiled at the joke. "My doctor said that, with all the concussions I've had, I'm lucky I can remember my own name."

"Yeah," Clark said quietly. "I'm sorry about that. I had to make sure I could protect you without you witnessing my powers. Most of the time, it was the other guy that did it." Clark wasn't so squeaky clean. But neither was Lex, and he wasn't about to damn him for that. "You saw me use my powers once, and Lionel had your memory erased. I tried to break you out of Belle Reve, but I ran into trouble."

"That was noble." It wasn't sarcastic. He was impressed. "You could've fed me to the wolves, but you really tried to get me out."

"I hated seeing you like that. Belle Reve was the worst place for you." His features were solemn with bad memories. They were trying to clear the air. He wanted to get everything out.

"So what did my father want with Kara?" The path veered off to the left, and he looked behind him to make sure Kara was still following. She was softly cooing to Comet, and he'd never seen that horse look happier. There was a bounce in his trot.

"I don't know. I think he wants to protect her. That's why he came to me. Your father was chosen to be my father, Jor-El's, emissary on Earth at one point. I think he knows Kryptonian, because he got a lot more out of her than I did." A chill ran through Lex. What if his father had ulterior motives? That man never thought about others.

"I don't trust him."

"Neither do I." Good. At least they were on the same page about that. "I have to get home and do some work on the farm. I could run Pandora back to the stables, but I don't think she'd like it much."

"Just leave her with us. Kara can help me get her back." Clark dismounted, and Lex grabbed the reins. "It was nice talking to you, Clark. Hearing the truth. It's almost therapeutic." He laughed a little.

"All those fancy therapists and I'm the one who does all the work." He forgot how funny Clark was. He gave the younger man a smile, and suddenly, all he saw was a blur, and Clark was gone.

Kara successfully led all three horses back to the stables without a problem. She could feel what they did and guide them in the right direction without the use of the strap attached to their snouts. The one Lex called Pandora was sore from the bit in her mouth. Pandora was loving, Comet was spunky, and Zeus was arrogant like Lex. It fit him.

She didn't understand some of what they said, but she had a feeling that a wound had been healed between them. Now that she had more time to observe him, Clark didn't seem so mean anymore. The talk between them had been tense, but Clark had been more relaxed. She and Lex held hands on the way back to the castle.

They walked slowly and lazily, and she had her head resting on his arm. She was shorter than him, so she couldn't rest it on his shoulder. The quiet buzz of nature was all around them, and Lex said something she wasn't expecting.

"Don't tell my father anything else, Kara. It's better if this is kept a secret. You need to hide with me so that no one takes you away. They'll put you in a lab and never let you go." There was pain in his voice. Probably because he had done that same thing, only he was hopefully coming to his senses. Clark had convinced him not to use the Kryptonite anymore, so she didn't think she was going to get cut open again.

"Okay. I'm sorry." She looked up at him with doe eyes, and he leaned down to softly kiss her lips. Charity was waiting for them in the foyer.

"Your father is in your office." Kara didn't like Charity. She didn't quite know why. The woman was all cold, almost as if she were the alien. The woman shot her an icy glare. She hated Kara for no reason. Of course, Lex didn't see what was going on between them.

They both entered the office, where Lionel sat on the couch. "Ah, good afternoon. I thought you would keep me waiting all day, Lex." His dark brown eyes turned to her, and he acted surprised. "Who's this lovely young lady?"

"I think you already know Kara, Dad." Lex's voice was sarcastic and bitter. The interaction between them was so different from what she was used to seeing. Then again, her dad had tried to use her as a weapon once because she was close to Jor-El. Maybe that was what Lex felt like all the time.

"It's nice to see you again, Kara." He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. She saw Lex's eyes flash. She couldn't read all the emotions in that glare, but jealousy was definitely one element. 

"Clark told me that you were his alien father's emissary. He told me that you know Kryptonian." Kara shifted her weight from one foot to another, because, rather than focusing on Lex, Lionel was still looking at her.

"Ah, so Clark finally told you all of his secrets? Brave boy." Then, with an obvious show of power, Lionel started speaking Kryptonian. "(Did you get to ride the horses?) He was as perceptive as Lex was, if not more.

"(Yes. It was relaxing.) Lex was watching and listening intently.

"(I see you decided to stay with my son. It's your choice, but I still think that living with Clark would have been better for you.) He said all of this in a positive tone as if they were speaking about something else.

"(I can take care of myself. I've learned some English. Lex is going to teach me more.) She wandered to Lex's side and smiled at him. He took her hand and ran his hand down her cheek.

"Well, at least you two seem content. I still don't think you can train her to be your own personal lap dog." Lionel's words confused her. She started focusing on something else instead of trying to unravel the difficult words.

"She's nothing like that. She can be her own person." She felt Lex's body tense up, but she simply leaned into him and closed her eyes.

"Your interest in her is high enough right now, but it will wane over time. She'll be nothing more than a science project to you, Lex. Why don't you just let her leave with her heart unbroken? Let her stay with Clark. He's the most able out of all of us." Lionel's choppy elocution was different from Lex's smooth, unbroken speech.

"I can understand why the concept of love is something unfamiliar to you, but I'm capable enough to take care of her. She'll be safer here, because the Kent farm takes in a new child every month. It looks suspicious."

"Three days until Lana's flight. I wonder what she'll think of Kara." Lionel made a clicking sound with his tongue against the roof of his mouth.

"The mansion is going to be placed on lock-down. I'm going to inform Clark of the situation. I have it under control." Lex sounded annoyed. She rubbed his back.

She didn't listen to the rest of the conversation. She didn't even hear the words. It was all starting to blur together. She could only hear the words for so long before they started becoming foreign again. "(I'm tired,) she said suddenly.

When Lex looked at Lionel, he repeated what she said in English. Lex said something comforting and said his goodbyes to Lionel. He led her to her room, and she fell asleep in the bed almost immediately. The respite was exactly what she needed.

Her dreams were slow and sleepy, but suddenly, they turned chaotic. She heard booms, and the crystalline towers of Krypton were falling and crashing down all over again. She awoke in a cold sweat, and there was a flash of bright light before the booming sounded again. It was real.

She got down on the floor, because she felt safer there. She wanted Lex to be here. She jumped again when the boom came, and she was breathing hard when she crawled out into the hall. She didn't know where Lex's room was. A surge of panic went through her as it thundered through the whole castle and made the walls shake. She yelped as her vision went black and green, and she saw a skeleton in the room at the far end of the hall. It didn't take her long to get there with super speed.

She tried to be quiet when she opened the door, but she was scared to death. The same thing that happened on Krypton must have been happening on this planet. She had to let Lex know somehow. He had been sleeping peacefully before she jumped in the bed and curled up next to him. Tears were running down her face, and her words ran together and were jumbled as she struggled for her English.

"What's wrong?! Lex almost shouted through the sound. He didn't seem concerned at all about the noise. Just her.

"Sound. The sound. It's like what…" Her mind was working too fast for her to be logical. "Like Krypton. The rocks fell. People dead." The sound came again, and she was shaking in Lex's arms. She was squeezing him too tightly, she thought, but he wasn't complaining.

"It's called thunder. It's okay, Kara. Nothing's happening." He spoke in a soothing voice and kissed away her tears. "It's part of the weather. Like sun, rain, and snow."

She sniffled. She'd seen the weather on television all the time. She started to calm down and loosen her hold on Lex. When she pulled her arms away, he hissed. She saw bruises where she'd gripped too hard. "I'm sorry, Lex!"

"It's okay. I heal fast. I'll be all better by tomorrow." She smiled. She fell asleep feeling safe with his arms wrapped around her.


	4. Dusk

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part One****: Shadow of a Secret**

**Disclaimer****: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, Lionel Luthor, Martha Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics.**

**Chapter Four****: Dusk**

Lex was surprised when Kara woke him up in the middle of the night, but he soothed her back to sleep. She was frightened by the thunder. From what he got out of it, it sounded like something bad that had happened on her planet. He would have to ask Clark about that.

He enjoyed her warming his bed. It felt right. She looked perfect under the purple and black silk sheets. Her tanned skin and long, blonde locks were in direct contrast with the colors. He wanted to take her to the Kent farm today. She would probably be busy with all the animals. He would have a chance to talk to Clark about Lana.

It was a painful subject to bring up between the two of them, but it was completely necessary. In two days, she would be here. From what his father had told him, she wanted her revenge taken slowly and painfully, and the best way to get to Lex would be to use Kara. Lana may have been away in Shanghai, but she was highly intelligent. She would be able to pick up anything she'd missed while she was gone.

He remembered the glory he felt when Lana had married him. He had finally hurt Clark deeper than anyone else could, but now, he felt a small stab of guilt. If it hadn't been for Clark's obsession with her, it would be unlikely that Lex would have ever even dated her. Now she was out for Lex's blood.

He ran his fingertips down Kara's seemingly fragile cheek. She wasn't weak, but would she have the instinct to attack Lana if she did set her sights on Kara? He had manipulated her so easily and so had his father. He could only hope that she wouldn't fall prey to Lana's vicious plot. Even with all her power, the alien girl needed all the protection she could get.

He'd believed in life on other planets since he was young, but he would have never guessed that he'd be sleeping with an extraterrestrial. She looked so human, and she had all of their emotions and then some. Her perfect beauty might have been alien in a world where there wasn't plastic surgery, but Kara could be passed off as a model from another country. The world would have no problem believing that she was Lex's new girlfriend.

She could rip out his heart if she wanted to. He hated for anyone to have that much power over him, but this innocent creature in all her savage beauty would never abuse it. The Luthor in him wanted to kill her now before she could betray him, but there was still a large part of him that was rationally Lex. He could not become blind to any sign of sabotage, but perhaps he could allow himself to fall in love with her for a while. He hadn't really loved a woman since his mother died, but this free spirit had seized his heart the instant she saved his life.

He was being irrational, the Luthor part of him snarled. He should ensure her loyalty with a meteor-lined collar and keep her locked up. He wouldn't be able to stand the guilt. If anything would turn him into his father, it would be that. He could easily imagine Lionel keeping her as a slave for his own pleasure, and the rebellious side in him flared in denial. He wouldn't be his father. He needed to keep Kara safe from the outside world and from himself.

While his fingertips were enjoying the feel of her silky hair, she started to awaken. She had gorgeous, full lips and flawlessly tanned skin, but it was all nothing compared to her eyes. Sleepily content, they flickered open to look up at him. They were dynamically blue, and he could see at least five shades of the color in them. Her lips curved into a small smile. Her hand went up to his bald scalp and ran over it. She was mimicking his actions. He returned her smile with a bemused one of his own.

He usually hated it when women touched his head. In the past, he had to resist smacking a few of them because of the way they dug their nails into the sensitive skin during sex. Kara's touch was soft and sweet, and he found that he couldn't deny her. He shifted his weight so that he could kiss the tip of her nose. "Good morning." Sometimes, he wanted to stay in silence with her and only communicate with body language, like they had to when she'd first arrived. He knew that she needed to learn English if he were to return to Metropolis as planned.

"Good morning," she repeated. Instead of being a parrot-like greeting, her inflection showed understanding. She was starting to fully comprehend the basics. He wouldn't have much of a problem teaching her the more complicated things.

The sun was already blazing through the curtains on the window. He suspected that they had both slept in past what they usually did. She probably needed the rest because of her frightening experience last night. "We're going to Clark's farm today." Her eyes lit up, and her smile was brighter than the sun could ever be.

"With the animals?" It was no wonder that she was a vegetarian. She seemed to care about animals as much as she did about humans. Lex reasoned that to eat them would be equivalent to cannibalism in her code of ethics. It was interesting, to say the least. He wondered if all Kryptonians followed the same code. Clark ate meat. Maybe it was only the females who had empathy toward animals.

"Yes. Clark and I need to talk." Her excitement dimmed a bit, but it was still there. "Do you want to go down to the kitchen and get some food for us?" There was that smile again, easy and beautiful, and she nodded before she got out of bed. She was wearing her pajamas from last night, and Lex wasn't wearing anything. He always slept in the buff unless he was staying at a hotel.

She moved like an elegant gazelle. She could have easily been a model, but models were known for having that superior attitude that Kara lacked. He would have to teach her before they returned to Metropolis. He had a feeling that Clark wouldn't be on board with the trip, but they had to integrate Kara into society eventually. Perhaps it would be best to start in Smallville and then go to Metropolis when she was ready.

Kara came back with Kelly and two trays. One was full of fruits, vegetables, and grains, while the other had eggs, bacon, sausage, and an assortment of other breakfast foods. Kara sat next to him in the bed and placed the tray over her legs so that she could eat. She ate much faster than he did, and she didn't pick at her food like he was prone to do. He was so busy watching her that he ate more than he usually did.

She ate all of the food she was given. He suspected that she had an accelerated rate of metabolism. He would have to test her blood again. He still had some in reserve, so he didn't need to draw it from her again. Once he was finished with his food, he chose his clothes and got dressed. He wore a black suit jacket and pants with a blue silk shirt. He acknowledged that it might be a bad idea to wear black on a hot day when he was going to the farm, but he and Clark could stay inside and talk.

He was fastening the last button in his shirt when he saw Kara in the mirror. She looked more like an angel than ever in a cotton dress that seemed to flow around her. Her golden locks were left to drift down past her shoulders. He turned around and walked over to her. She seemed to be waiting for his approval, so he gave it. He pulled her close to him with one arm wrapped around her waist and gave her a long, sensual kiss.

"You look beautiful, angel." Her lips spread into that gorgeous smile that made her eyes glisten, and the color of her cheeks deepened to a rosy pink. He wondered how one woman could enrapture him so completely, but there seemed to be no explanation except that it was Kara. She was his exquisite, innocently sweet anomaly that made his will turn to water.

"Thank you," she responded shyly. The television shows had been helping to dramatically improve her vocabulary and her sense of words. She was now addicted to Law and Order. She liked the drama, and it didn't hurt to have her learning the ins and outs of the law.

"You're welcome." He slipped his hand over hers and led her down the hall until they reached the parking garage. It was a huge space that was used to store all of his cars. There were at least fifty of them here. They were all sleek, perfect beauties that satisfied his desire for speed. He chose a fiery dark red Mercedes and grabbed the corresponding key from its position hanging by the other keys. It unlocked with a flash of lights and two beeps.

He watched Kara's reaction carefully. He opened her door for her so that she wouldn't accidentally break it. One of the things Lex had learned was that Kara didn't know how to limit her strength sometimes. She tentatively got in and sat down, and he shut her door before getting in himself. He made a point of fastening his seat belt so that she could watch him and learn to do the same.

She jumped when he turned the car on. He smiled at her to relieve her anxiety and backed out of the parking spot. He raced out of the garage and past the open gates. There weren't many roads in Smallville, and this one connected his castle to Clark's farm without many side routes. Her hand lay over his, which was on the gear shift. She was scared, but he also saw her grin from the corner of his eye when he went faster. It was an adrenaline rush.

With his speed, they made it to the Kent farm in five minutes.

Kara did _not_ like cars. Lex's cars were pretty, but flying was much better and safer. She didn't like the confined space, and she hated that she couldn't sit right next to Lex. Holding the hand that was controlling the car was comforting, but it wasn't full-body contact.

As soon as they arrived at the farm, she held Lex's hand and stayed close to him. Touching him made her feel better. She was excited about meeting the animals, but it was a new environment that she was completely uncertain of. She could hear some of the animals already. They were in front of the white door at the front of the bright yellow house when Lex stopped and brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"Are you okay?" He was genuinely concerned. She only nodded and gave him a small smile to reassure him. He opened the flimsy door on the outside and made two solid knocks on the white door. Kara could hear movement inside, but it wasn't Kal-El. The sound of the foot on the ground was much lighter than Clark's footstep. The door opened, and there stood a woman with a shock of red hair cut just below her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes were filled with shock as she looked at them.

"Mrs. Kent, we're here to see Clark." She frowned.

"One moment, please." She closed the door and disappeared back into the house. Kara hadn't met many people, but this woman seemed cold and strained toward them. Her heart fell. If Clark lived with this woman, she must be important to him. Kara hadn't even done anything yet, and the woman disliked her.

"It's not your fault," Lex murmured. His arm wrapped around her, and his hand lightly kneaded her shoulder. "She doesn't like me." Before Kara could wonder what Lex did to earn her bad favor, Clark opened the door and stepped back to give them room to enter.

"Sorry." Clark looked uncomfortable when they walked into the house, but Kara was immediately distracted by the difference in decoration in the Kent house. It was a fairly small space, but it held much more color than the castle. There was a jumble of small figurines over the fireplace with pictures behind them.

She didn't realize that she'd stepped away from Lex until he was at her side again. She looked at all the pictures. There was one with Clark, the red-haired woman, and a tan, blonde man. She was going to ask who they were, but she could see the pain in Clark's eyes when he looked at the picture. "Where are the animals?" She hoped to get his mind off of the sad thing he was thinking about.

"Maybe Mrs. Kent could show you, if it's not too much trouble." Lex glanced at Clark in a meaningful way, and she could tell that he was trying to get Clark alone.

"I'll ask her." Clark went into what Kara thought might be the kitchen. Lex's fingers pressed gently against the small of her back. It was then when she knew that he was nervous, too. He just knew how to hide it better than she did. It was in the beat of his heart. It would stutter when he inhaled. She turned and placed a kiss on his cheek. The smile that it created disappeared when Clark reappeared with the woman.

"I'll give you a tour of the farm." The woman smiled, but it wasn't genuine. It was more polite than anything. Kara followed the woman's lead and ended up back outside through a door in the kitchen. "What's your name?"

"Kara Zor-El." When she said it, the woman stopped in her tracks.

"Zor-El? Is that like Jor-El?" The woman's eyes were looking at her with mild suspicion.

"Yes. Jor-El was my uncle. Kal-El is my cousin." She beamed with appreciation of the new word that Kal-El taught her. The woman opened a gate that held white behemoths with black spots.

"My name is Martha Kent. I'm Clark's mother." Martha looked uncomfortable with the mention of Kal-El's name. Her flinch was much like Clark's the first time Kara said his name out loud.

"Lara was Kal-El's mother," she corrected with some confusion. As they approached the animals, she saw Martha's eyes moisten.

"I took Clark in when he landed here on Earth. I'm his mother here." She was a fierce woman who had a gentle way about her. It was clear that she cared about Clark.

"And the man in the picture? Is he Clark's Earth father?" She got closer to one of the animals, which let out a low, nasally sound.

"Yes. He died a year ago." Martha looked wrought with grief. Kara made sure to tread carefully with her next batch of words as she patted the animal's smooth pelt. Its tail, which was white with a puff of fur on the end, seemed to have a mind of its own. It swung from side to side and swatted away insects.

"I'm sorry." She reached for something in her words that would offer comfort. "All of my family except Kal-El died on Krypton." Martha looked sympathetic, and Kara was starting to warm up to her. "What is its name?" she asked as she motioned toward the animal.

"It's a cow. Her name is Annie." She saw Martha's first real smile. "Come on, let's go have fun with the chickens." Those clear blue eyes seemed to melt, and Martha decided to trust Kara. She realized that humans were much more suspicious than Kryptonians. Her society had been a close-knit society in which everyone knew everyone else. Earth was too big for that.

The chickens were some of the funniest creatures Kara had ever seen. They were a dusty brown. One of them nearly broke its beak on Kara's skin when she tried to see its eggs, which Martha explained encased baby chickens. Kara was able to pick one of them up and pet it for a few moments before Martha coaxed her into seeing the horses.

Clark's horses were much less glossy than Lex's, but they were happy all the same. The cows had lazy thoughts, the chickens had frantic thoughts, and the horse's thoughts were calm but intelligent. She knew which ones she preferred. After cooing to the horses, Martha introduced her to Shelby.

The Golden Retriever, as Martha called him, jumped up on Kara immediately. His feelings were overwhelmingly happy and excited, and she couldn't help stroking his fur and then scratching his belly. His tongue licked every inch of bare skin available on her arms, legs, and face.

She followed Martha up the barn's stairs and saw Clark's private space. It had a couch, a television, and a large window that looked out over the farm. Shelby wagged his tail and barked for more attention. She sat down on the couch and petted him so that Lex and Clark had all the time they needed to sort things out.

"I could've shown her around." It was that statement that reminded Lex just how thick-headed Clark could be sometimes. He watched the two women exit the house and waited a few seconds before saying what he needed to say. It wasn't going to be pleasant.

"I know. I need to talk to you about Lana." He wasted no time getting to the point. When he had the nerve to look at Clark, he saw the younger man's features subtly contort with anger. His gaze grew more intense, his cheeks grew red, and his hands unconsciously balled into fists. "I wouldn't bring it up if it wasn't important."

"She's dead, Lex. You killed her, remember?" Clark's glare hid nothing. His tone was full of accusation, and it was obvious that he still had feelings for her. Lex felt a small amount of remorse for stealing her away. If he hadn't done that, Lana wouldn't be out gunning for him. She and Clark probably would've stayed in Smallville to run the farm and make babies. The stereotype of a wholesome family made Lex cringe.

"I didn't kill her. I found out she was dead when the dam flooded. When Kara saved my life." If she hadn't come along, he would've been dead. She was a miracle in the disguise of a beautiful blonde alien. "I looked at the police reports. They found tiny scraps of DNA littered about the scene. My father was kidnapped soon after, and he claims that Lana did it. He also says that she's missing a finger."

Clark's eyes were wide, and Lex could see a glimmer of hope in them. "She's really alive?" He hated the emotion in Clark's features, but he reasoned that he probably looked like that when he thought about Kara.

"That's my theory. She's in Shanghai, but she has a flight scheduled to land in Metropolis in two days. I doubt she's going for the scenery." Lex's hands slipped into his pockets as he watched Clark think. He knew that Clark wasn't stupid. On the contrary, the younger man could be rather intelligent at times.

"Lana is coming back." Clark's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would she come back?" Lex didn't blame Clark for being puzzled. He had just found out that the love of his life was alive and that she had staged her own death.

"She staged the explosion for a reason. She wanted to put me away for the rest of my life." He couldn't imagine spending the rest of his life in a jail cell. He prayed that it would never happen. In the dark recesses of prison, there was no doubt that the worst of him would reign.

"Why? What did you do to her?" Clark's posture grew immediately defensive. Lex couldn't imagine operating on such strong emotion all the time. His cool nonchalance made him the direct opposite of Clark's symphony of emotion.

Lex couldn't help looking at the floor. Kara made him want to be a better man. It sounded hokey and fake, but he wasn't eager to list off the tortures he put Lana through, especially to the man she was really in love with. "She was never pregnant." Lex looked at Clark with a long, measured gaze. "I'm not proud of what I did. The day before we were married, my father asked me if I would do anything to ensure Lana's presence at the altar. I said yes."

"You lying son of a bitch," Clark spat. His face was an angry dark red. "You knew that she would marry you if she was pregnant. You made it up so that she would be trapped with you." Before Lex could react, what felt like a chunk of steel smashed into his jaw. He was knocked to the ground by the force, and he spat coppery-tasting blood on Martha Kent's revolting carpet. "She should've been with me!" Clark's voice boomed throughout the entire house.

"Clark!" Martha shouted in horror. She was probably less upset about Lex being hit than about Clark actually hitting someone. The Kents didn't solve their problems with violence.

He felt Kara's hair tickling his neck and opened his eyes to look up at her. His jaw was throbbing with pain. She was kneeling on the floor with her hands placed gently on either side of his face. She was looking at his jaw with intense scrutiny.

"You broke him," she said as she looked up at Clark. It would have been humorous if it weren't for the fire in her eyes. She was upset. Lex saw her struggle to come up with the right words for what she wanted to say. "I hate you, Kal-El." She said it with such fiery defiance that Clark looked stunned. Lex got to his feet, and Kara was right by his side. She led him out the door with no problem. Her grip was tighter than what was comfortable for him, but she wasn't breaking any bones.

"It's okay, Kara," he tried to soothe, but her cheeks were still pink. She was pissed. He opened the door to the car for her and then got in himself.

"He hurt me, and he hurt you." Her lips were pursed in anger. "Kal-El is bad."

"He just doesn't understand." Lex reached over to run his fingers through Kara's hair. The car remained stationary in the driveway. "I've done some bad things to Clark in the past. He's mad at me," he explained in the simplest terms he could. Talking made his jaw hurt worse, but it was better that she didn't dwell on this.

"What bad things?" There was curiosity in her eyes. He only let loose a deep sigh.

"Things that hurt him." He expected her to shy away from him, but she leaned in and tenderly kissed his lips.

"I love you." He couldn't stop his face from showing his surprise. She must've learned it from all the television she was watching. "It's okay?" She was scared of being rejected.

"Yes." His fingers rubbed the back of her scalp lightly.

"Say it back," she demanded. There were tears in her eyes, but she was trying to hold them back. They pleaded with him more than her voice did. Saying the three-word cliché was like a curse for him. Every time he thought he loved a woman, she would betray him. Was Kara even capable of betrayal? Those ocean blue eyes turned away from him to look out the windshield.

"I love you," he blurted out. Lex rarely said something that was unplanned, but he had an incessant urge to make her happy. He didn't want to be the cause of any of her despair. Her eyes turned back to him, and he took the 

opportunity to kiss her. His tongue massaged hers in the most loving way he could devise. When he pulled away, she seemed to brighten considerably.

He saw Clark watching from the door when he pulled out of the driveway.

They were watching what Lex called a movie when Kara got a chance to think about the events of the day. Kal-El and Martha Kent had seemed like good people, but Kal-El had hurt Lex. Lex was supposed to be bad, but he was the only good person she knew. If Kryptonians were this complicated, she might've held some insight into Kal's actions, but the only knowledge she had came from the television, where dramatic things happened all the time.

Were humans full of hate and love at the same time? Kara was experiencing complicated feelings herself, but she had never seen a dynamic like the one between Lex and Kal. Kal's eyes had been so angry, like he was going to set Lex on fire right before her eyes. She shivered. She didn't like the thought of Kal being so dangerous.

She was lying with her head in Lex's lap. His hands were running through her hair and softly rubbing her scalp to ease her apparent tension. When she focused her eyes again, she found Lex's staring right back at her. "What's wrong?" The movie was still going on in the background, but all of his attention was on her.

"What did you do to Kal-El to make him mad?" Lex's chest rose and fell as he took a deep breath. She knew that he was deciding if he was going to tell her.

"There was a girl that Clark was in love with." Lex was watching her carefully to make sure she understood. "Her name was Lana Lang. I was mad at Clark, so I stole Lana. We got married."

"You stole her? What's married?" She didn't know that a person could be stolen.

"I told her I was in love with her. I took her away from Clark so that she would love me instead. Clark hated me for it." She took a moment to contemplate the situation. She compared it to how her father liked Jor-El's mate. Kara wasn't supposed to know, but she had caught her Zor-El trying to kiss Kal-El's mother once. She never forgot it. She remembered her mother's eyes and how they were filled with sadness most of the time. "Married is when two people promise to be together forever."

"Like bonding." It was one of those things that seemed to slip out of her mouth, and Lex looked down at her with curiosity. "Kryptonians had a bonding…sort of a party."

"A ceremony," he corrected.

"A bonding ceremony. They gave their hearts to each other." She was having a hard time trying to describe it, but Lex waited patiently. "If they got separated, they were alone forever."

"If you get separated here, you move on. You can get married to another person." Such an idea seemed atrocious to her. People were supposed to be together forever. Then again, her father had loved Jor-El's wife. Maybe it wasn't perfect all the time. "I told her that she was pregnant when she wasn't."

"What's pregnant?" She wasn't very confused yet. She could still follow the story as long as Lex defined a few things.

"When a woman carries a baby in her stomach." She remembered women with inflated bellies on Krypton, but they were never told that children were made that way. Only the elders were allowed to know. Kara wrinkled her nose.

"Where does it come out?" That question made Lex laugh. She blushed a little in embarrassment. Lex's hand ran down her stomach and went up her skirt and touched her where it felt the best.

"Right here." Her eyes widened. She could tell he was trying not to laugh.

"Is the baby really small?" The only babies she'd ever seen were far too big for that.

"No. It stretches so the baby can come out." She didn't like that idea.

"I can be pregnant?" He shook his head.

"Not right now. When you're ready for a baby." She could tell that he wasn't telling her the full truth, but she didn't want to know anything else about it.

"Good." Why a woman would want to be pregnant was beyond her. Suddenly, she could feel a rush of warmth from Lex, but it wasn't from his body. She could feel it from his heart. She was far too puzzled to think about it. She simply listened to the rest of the movie and fell asleep.


	5. Scales

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part One****: Shadow of a Secret**

**Disclaimer****: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, Lionel Luthor, Martha Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics.**

**Chapter Five****: Scales**

When Kara discovered the piano, she was overjoyed. The large, black instrument was similar to some of the musical devices they used to have on Krypton, but it had gone out of style when it became uncouth to play your own music. Royal families believed that Kryptonians shouldn't have had to sully their fingers in the pursuit of pleasant listening when they already had so much in their memory banks that could be accessed with a simple voice command. Those who disobeyed in honor of their love of music were caste out from society and labeled deviants. It was this reason that, as soon as her fingers touched the ebony and ivory keys with as much gentility as she could, she felt forbidden pleasure rush through her.

Lex was sitting on the couch looking over and scribbling notes on stacks of paper. It was an activity that he spent long hours completing, but he never seemed to be done with it. It took his attention away from her, but she wasn't one to have a man dote on her all the time. Besides, there was still much of the castle that she hadn't explored yet, and she was eager to try out the piano, as Lex had called it. She pressed the first key and received a high-pitched tone for her effort, and they subtly went lower as she went further down. Once she'd memorized all the notes, including the black ones, she thought of some of the music she'd grown up listening to on Krypton. When she was a child, she'd had the illegal luxury of listening to some of the banned music, and it was the most beautiful music she'd ever heard. It was a shame that Krypton's outrageous laws depended on the whims of royalty.

One song in particular had struck her. It had been richly filled with notes, so it would be hard to reproduce on the earthen device, but she could try. She had to use her speed to play all the notes that she wanted to, and the result was pleasantly similar to the original song. Her eyes were closed as she played the entire song from memory. Toward the end of the song, she didn't have to work as hard to play the keys. Her fingers had stumbled clumsily on the first few notes, but her motions were fluid and natural now that the song was near its completion. At its finish, she wondered why in the world the royal counsel had banned such a precious act. Playing the piece made her blood hum with contentment. She broke out of her daze and looked over at Lex, who was staring right back at her with open curiosity and elation.

She took her fingers off of the keys as if they were engulfed in flame. He immediately stood in a smooth motion and approached the piano. She slid down to one side of the bench so that he could sit on the other. Once he did, he examined the ivory and ebony strips and then glanced up at her. "That was very interesting," he admitted in a low tone. "That was a Kryptonian song, right?" During her stay, she noticed that Lex was picking up what little of her language that she had exposed him to. Maybe while he was teaching her more English, she could teach him Kryptonian.

"Yes. It is not allowed." He cocked his head to one side, and Kara had learned early on that that particular motion meant that she should explain further. "Making the music. They say we have enough, and the people that keep making it are…" He waited patiently for her to come up with a word that closely fitted what she was looking for. "Out. Not allowed in Argo anymore." Argo City was the metropolis of Krypton, and anyone who lived outside it was viewed as an undesirable. Her parents forbade her from ever going outside of Argo, but she remembered distinctly the few times that she'd gone against them.

"What's Argo? Is that a city?" She could tell that he was trying to make it easier for her to explain. His hand rested on her upper thigh. She couldn't feel his touch through her pants, but she could feel the warmth from it. It was a comforting reassurance that she could tell him anything without being afraid. She hadn't been in the laboratory since Dedalus and Charity cut her apart, but she wondered if he might do it again in the future. If Kal had been worried about that, he would've taken her when he had the chance. If Kal trusted Lex, so should she.

"Yes. Argo is where everyone lives. Outside is for people who don't fit." He understood her, even if she didn't have the right terminology. Her mind jumped from life on Krypton to Kal again. "When is Ka—Clark coming?" Her lips didn't agree with her mind sometimes, and words just tumbled out on their own accord. She saw Lex's expression become closed-off and knew that he was still angry at Clark for yesterday. Kara had calmed down quickly, but Lex was still tense. She wasn't sure why.

"I don't know. You can call him," he offered without much enthusiasm. On the other side of the spectrum, Kara was excited to use a phone. They had communication devices on Krypton that were way past Earth's technology, but she loved this new world with things that may have been outdated on her planet, but they intrigued her so easily with their differences. She'd seen a lot of examples of the phone being used on the television, and she often listened to Lex make phone calls. Sometimes, he was so distracted that he was on the phone for an entire hour.

"Okay." Lex led her across the room to his phone and pushed the numbers. He turned it on and handed it to her, and she heard little beeps before a longer tone that repeated itself. She was suddenly afraid that Clark didn't want to talk to her after her dramatic outburst yesterday, but the tone was suddenly interrupted by Clark's gruff and nearly indecipherable greeting. "Clark? It's Kara." She found herself leaning against the nearby wall. When she glanced at Lex, he had his papers in his lap again, but his head was turned to the side so that he could hear the conversation.

"Are you alright?" His concern for her was almost overwhelming. She could hear it in his voice and the rushed rate of his breathing, and even over the phone, she could hear his heart pumping a little bit faster than it was before. "Do you need me to come get you?" If he automatically assumed that Lex was hurting her, how healed was their relationship, really? She could still sense the very palpable schism that separated the two into good and bad, even though they both had a little of the other's weakness.

"No, I'm okay," she said quickly before he got the idea in his head to run over here and snatch her. She heard a distinct snort from Lex's direction and knew what he assumed. "I think it would be good if you come over." Now that her anxiety level had risen, it became much harder to find the words she wanted to, and the grammar was dancing around in her head. Lex had attempted to explain present, past, and future tense to her, but it was all confusing. She would understand it in time, and Lex was an extremely tolerant of her. "I miss you." Television had been responsible for teaching her that one.

She noticed that Lex froze and tensed when she said that she missed Clark. A frown came over her expression. She would have to make him feel better if Clark was coming over. "Sure. I need to finish up a few things, and then I'll come over." His voice was soft and showed that he obviously cared about her well-being. She finished up the conversation and hit the off button on the phone before walking over to a sulking Lex. It wasn't apparent to undiscerning individuals, but the slight downward tilt of his head, his stormy blue eyes clouding over, and his muscles tensing up when they should have been relaxed let her know that he was down. She set the papers aside, and that movement earned her a curious upward glance.

She slid into his lap like that was where she belonged and wrapped her arms around him so that her hands met at the back of his neck. All the while, she kept her eyes on his, as if the smooth waves of the ocean could soothe the storm. His hairless skin was velvety beneath her questing fingertips. The extra heat that his body provided was unnecessary, but it made her blood stream with a purpose. At first glance, his shirts always looked stiff, but this one was silky on the sensitive skin of her wrists. His arms snaked around her waist, and his strong hands pulled her closer so that her cloth-covered inner thighs were flush with the half-hard shaft in his pants. Touching him anywhere was absolutely electric, but that one in particular sent sharp currents down her spine.

His head dipped so that their lips brushed together, feather light, and their breath mingled hot in the tepid air around them. She realized that he was waiting for something, and her eyes met his again. His eyelids were half-closed. Ginger-tinted lashes were drowsily swept down to hide all but a slit of his hurricane blues. He angled his head so that their mouths could conquer one another with nothing in the way, and it turned into a duel of the tongues. His lips were forcibly smashed against hers. The way he bit her tongue felt like a mere tickle, but it was one that incited the fluttering in her stomach.

It was when the tip of his tongue was tracing hers that she heard foreign movement within the mansion. She pulled back, her lips protesting with a wet pop, and stared at nothing in particular while she listened. It wasn't Clark. The heartbeat was different. If it were one of Lex's servants, she would've heard it already. She couldn't describe how it was different from everyone else's, just that it was. It resembled Lex's in its strength and tempo, but everyone had a distinct rhythm inside them. It was hard to focus her hearing on one thing in particular, but she tried to zero in on that beat and then widen her focus to everything around it. Charity's voice sounded commanding before it was interrupted by a swift blow that fast enough to displace the air around it with noticeable force. "What?" she barely heard Lex ask in a soft voice as his fingers rubbed circles on her hips.

"Shh." She didn't even have to think of that one. It was instinctive. There was the powerful click of high heels against the wooden part of the floor downstairs by the kitchen, and they were headed in their direction. "It's a woman," she whispered. If she was strong enough to dispatch Charity, she might be a danger to Kara. She moved quickly out of Lex's lap as he stood up and walked quickly over to the bookcase. When Lex pressed his thumb into a scanner, a hidden panel popped out and revealed a loaded gun. He took it easily in his left hand, so smooth that he had to have been comfortable with guns at the very least, and held it by his side.

Guns and other weapons were nothing foreign to her. The Resistance led by General Zod had been in full-force when she was a child, and a day where she didn't see a soldier with his gun in hand rarely ever passed. She knew the danger behind them and the havoc they caused, but this woman was dangerous. Charity had a gun, and it hadn't done her any good. Maybe she couldn't get to it in time. She grew tense as she heard doors being opened in the hallway right outside. She was coming closer, whoever she was.

There was no end to Lex's curiosity about Kara's former life on her home planet. The music that she played was incredibly rich with different tones that she managed to create on an instrument that wasn't meant to make music that complex. It was a shame that they had banned new music from being made when they were in possession of such pleasing symphonies. He would have to take her to the piano more often. She had been completely at peace as she played the music with only a little clumsiness and a burst of super speed for the more complicated parts where more notes were required. There was no doubt that she had a perfect memory, at least when it came to music.

Her eyes had been closed almost the entire time, but when they were open, they appeared to be glazed over with her attention centered on the intricate task at hand. Her fingers were delicate on the keys, and he could tell that she was taking extra care not to break anything on the piano. Today, she was wearing a red blouse with an almost lacy texture with a pair of designer jeans. He noticed that she shied away from the more expensive things in the closet, but he was determined to change that once they went to Metropolis. For now, it was acceptable.

He wasn't pleased that she remembered Clark in a fond way and wanted him to visit. To be honest, he was downright envious. He wanted her all to himself, and he hadn't planned a reconciliation with Clark. At the same time, he wanted to keep her happy. All he could think about was how he made women feel miserable when he was with them and how he didn't want that to happen with Kara. He didn't want to lose her. This was a dangerous game to be playing at this stage in his life, especially against his father's wishes, but maybe she would become a permanent fixture in his life. The thought made a part of him cringe. He abhorred commitment, because it made him feel like he was backed into a corner with no escape.

His favorite activity was touching her. Her downy hair between his fingers, her supple lips pressing against his, and the weight of her body on top of him were all sensations that he was unwilling to live without at the moment. He wanted to stake a claim on her and to make her his. She made him want to lose all inhibition and trust her innocence and purity. He knew that something was wrong when she stiffened against him and broke the kiss. She was staring off into space, like she was listening for something, and he remembered that Kryptonians had super hearing. Her comment on the gender of the intruder made him launch into protective mode. It had to be Lana. She was a day early, but that was just like her, wasn't it? She was no longer the cheerleader at Smallville High. She was a conniving, deceitful bitch who wanted her revenge. He would kill her before she hurt Kara.

The gun in his hand was a comfort as well as a shield in case Lana got too creative. He had no doubt that she had some kind of weapon on her. She had to in order to get past Charity. Kara half-hid behind him, and his other hand was enveloped in hers behind his back. Something that she heard scared her. He didn't know what it was, but he was prepared. After what seemed like an eternity, the doors swung open to reveal a blonde Lana Lang. She looked completely renewed with a glint of mischief in her emerald eyes, and her new, platinum hair was set off by her tanned skin. Her eyes went from him to Kara, and her lips curled into a smile upon seeing his companion.

"Well, well, well," she almost purred as she ventured further into the room, "look what we have here." The closer she got, the more ill Kara's features became. Fuck. He looked down and saw the glowing Kryptonite around her neck as well as a prosthetic finger that was made of the substance. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that it was growing into her skin and attached by spidery veins of the green rock. The replacement index finger ended in a claw, and that was when he noticed that so did the rest of her nails. They looked incredibly sharp and had a green tint to them that could only be from the Kryptonite.

He tilted his head and attempted not to scowl, but he wasn't sure that he was successful. "Lana Lang, back from the dead. How was Shanghai?" His tone was casual and filled with disdain at the same time. She was halfway across the room. "Sorry about the divorce. Apparently, blowing your partner to pieces doesn't do well for your marriage." Her eyes flashed with unrestrained anger, and he felt a rush of cold fear run through his veins. It was all he could do to refrain from shuddering. Kara moved from behind him to sit down on the couch, and he was glad that her unsteady steps were hidden from Lana's view at the moment. He had to keep all eyes on him. "What brings you back from Hell?"

Lana's eyes flickered to Kara, who was trying and failing to hide her weakness. He didn't blame her for it. It made him angry at Lana, not Kara. "Shanghai was great. I heard that you r father had a recent visit. I hope he enjoyed his stay." She was, of course, referencing Lionel's kidnapping that he was now certain she had orchestrated. Her journey across the room was more of a strut, and she intentionally neared Kara and placed the hand with the Kryptonite finger on Kara's cheek. The blonde alien gasped, and the veins in her face stood out against her skin. He was enraged at the sight of her trembling hands. "Who's the new girl? She's…impressive," Lana finished with a smirk. She was amused by her own irony.

"A journalist. She's doing an article about me in the paper." The worst thing to do would be to give Lana any sign of her importance to him, but as Lana's hand slipped down to her throat and Kara struggled to breathe, he felt a surge of protectiveness. Lana watched him carefully, and he attempted to keep his expression neutral. "How did you get your new finger?" It was calm when he felt anything but. His hand gripped the gun with renewed vengeance, and he was glad that Lana hadn't seen it yet.

"Really? I thought she wasn't your type, but now that I've seen her up close--" She paused for a moment and slid onto the couch next to Kara. While her meteorite infected hand slid over Kara's chest, her other arm wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her close. Kara was clearly uncomfortable, and the thought of Lana corrupting her made him want to blow her brains out. It wasn't exactly clean and sophisticated, but his emotions were like a tidal wave. "I can see her appeal. What's your name, sweetie?" Her voice was low and seductive, the one that was usually reserved for the bedroom. When Lana's lips got too close to Kara's mouth, he cocked the gun and placed the barrel at the back of her head pointing downward.

"It doesn't matter. Get up." He didn't miss Lana's serpent-like smile as she raised her hands in surrender and got to her feet. She was pleased with herself for getting Lex to show emotion, but it was hard for him to ignore the ashy grayness of Kara's skin and her labored lethargy. "You should've stayed dead." He could feel his finger ready to squeeze the trigger when the doors burst open again. He looked to see Clark's widened eyes staring at the scene before him, and it was enough of a distraction for Lana to dig her claws into his hand and rip the gun from it. She was fast. Not as fast as Kara, but her motions were a blur for the most part.

"Oh, this is too perfect," she said with a laugh. Lex's hand was bleeding profusely, and it hurt like hell. But it wasn't himself he was worrying about when Lana grabbed Kara's throat and held the gun to her head. It was to get a reaction out of Clark, who played the part beautifully. He reached forward with fearful eyes. "So, both of you care about this girl. Maybe I should leave her carcass somewhere you can find it." He didn't know when Lana had gone insane, but he hated that it had everything to do with the war between him and Clark. They'd torn a girl apart and made this monster.

"Don't do it, Lana." Clark's earnest statement made Lex roll his eyes. "We could get you help." The problem was that Clark couldn't even approach her because of his meteor sickness. It was painfully apparent that Clark was still in love with her, and the moisture in his eyes said it more than anything. "You don't have to hurt her. Just let her go." He had no idea what he was doing. Lex was convinced that Clark had never heard of strategy, and it was as obvious as the veins on Kara's face.

A mixture between a laugh and a sob escaped Lana. "You left me to defend myself against _him_," she said with vehemence, indicating Lex, "and you expect me to listen to you? You really are stupid, Clark." Her movements were almost reptilian as she neared the door. Clark had to lean against the pool table to keep himself upright. "All I want is to hurt you both as much as possible. Though, it would be a shame to taint such beauty without enjoying myself first." Lana left, and there was nothing that Lex could do about it. He slammed his fist down on his desk and cursed loudly at his own incompetence.

Kara was out there somewhere with a psychotic bitch, and it was all his fault.

She was scared out of her mind. When Kara woke up, all she could remember was kissing Lex and then hearing noise. And pain. A lot of pain. She was still feeling it when she woke up in absolute darkness. There were no windows to allow the sun in, no cracks in any doors to let in even the smallest amount of light, and she was cold on a concrete floor. She was fully naked, and she didn't even have a blanket for warmth. Since she couldn't see in the dark, she flipped on her x-ray vision, which only showed her a skeleton about two feet away from her and the room that she was in. It was a large room, but she couldn't see through the walls or the ceiling. To add to her frustration, her x-ray vision flickered out of existence.

She was unbound. She crawled toward the person that she'd seen in the hopes that they would know how to get out. She had to crawl, because she wasn't strong enough to use her legs. She remembered the green flash of Kryptonite and how she felt like she was dying. Without the sun to restore her, she would remain this weak. She could die here. Her hand touched a smooth object, and she furrowed her brow in confusion. "Hello?" Her voice echoed in the large space, but she didn't receive a response. She continued along the smooth surface and wrapped her hand around it only to draw her hand back in horror.

Bones. She had literally seen a pile of bones shaped like a person, like they were still put-together and alive. Like the flesh had been ripped clean off. A whimper escaped her mouth as an onslaught of fear attacked her system. What if she didn't make it out of here alive? All she could do right now was put as much distance between her and the skeleton as possible. Her side hit the wall, and she shivered from the contact. Whatever it was, it was metallic and a lot colder than the floor was. She was totally unfamiliar with Earth's surfaces, so it didn't help her in the least.

She curled into herself to try and keep warm. Her body heat was being leeched by the floor, but maybe if she stayed in one place for a while, it would warm up. She shivered because of the chill as well as the terror. Who knew where she was? The earth was so large that it might take Lex and Clark weeks to find her. Her heart fell when she realized that if she couldn't see through the ceiling, Clark couldn't see through it either. All she could do was wait and hope that she didn't end up like the person who had been here before.

She didn't know when she'd fallen asleep, but when she woke up, she felt her stomach lurch from exposure to Kryptonite. The glowing green was the only light in the room, and it illuminated some of the features of the woman who was wearing it. She remembered the woman's face now that she saw it again, and her deadly talons glowed with an entire finger and the rock on her necklace. The woman's expression appeared to be sympathetic, but Kara reminded herself not to trust. One of the woman's hands ran through her hair. "What's your name, sweetie?"

She recognized the question, and it was the same haze of Kryptonite that made her slow to answer. "Kara," she whispered. Her voice sounded rough and not like her usual voice at all. How long had she been here? In the darkness, all time was lost. "Where am I?" As if the Kryptonite weren't enough, she felt like she'd been split in two. She'd been unconscious long enough so that she was missing Lex's presence. It had been longer than it took Lex to go to work and come back.

"That's a beautiful name." A calm smile came over the woman's face, and Kara thought that she was pretty. Why would she want to hurt Kara if she was a good person? It was that question that kept her from trusting the stranger. "My name's Lana." Lana. She knew that name. She remembered Lex telling her the reason that Clark was mad at him. Because Lex stole Lana from Clark. Now Lana was mad, so she'd stolen Kara from Lex and Clark. "You're safe. No one will find us here." Kara's breath stuttered in its rhythm at that statement as she closed her eyes and hoped that Lana was wrong.

"Why?" The single word was all she needed. Why was Lana doing this to her? "What happened to that person? The bones." She was ready to fall apart, but she couldn't let Lana know what she was. Her time with Lex had told her that she couldn't trust everyone. She had to channel a little bit of Lex in order to be suspicious of Lana, but she kept thinking about the fact that Lana was the reason that she was here and not curled up at the castle with Lex.

"I needed food. I'm sure you understand, don't you?" she said in a soft voice. Kara only nodded to keep Lana from getting mad at her, because she didn't know what Lana would do then. "I saved you from Lex." The glint in her eyes was much like that of the outcasts she had seen outside Argo who her mother warned her about. "He was going to hurt you. He was going to break your heart. I had to stop it before he hurt you like he hurt me." She felt something wet against her lips and realized that it was Lana's tongue. Her mind commanded her to stop, her instincts told her that this was not her mate and she had no right to be kissing someone other than Lex, and Lana's tongue in her mouth tasted so wrong. It was a coppery taste.

She realized that Lana had two long fangs instead of the normal teeth that should've been in their place. The rest of her teeth were normal, but those fangs made Kara nervous. She couldn't upset Lana. She had to survive long enough for Lex and Clark to get her out of here. She jumped when she felt fingers brush over her nipples. She hated the dark. She didn't know what was coming, and it only served to increase her fear. "P-please don't," she stammered out, and Lana's touches stopped as soon as she said it. Kara thought that she understood that she was making Kara nervous and frightened.

The next thing she felt was Lana's claws on the end of a hard smack. They dug deep into her cheek, and Lana kept her hand on the stinging skin. "I saved your life, and this is how you repay me? You should be on your knees worshiping me." The claws were dragged down her cheek, and Kara had to grit her teeth to get through it. God, it hurt like nothing she'd ever felt, especially with the Kryptonite searing her exposed muscle. When Lana finally pulled her hand away, Kara heard slurping sounds. Lana was licking Kara's blood from her fingers.

Kara's stomach couldn't handle it anymore as she turned on her side and heaved. The sparse amount of food that had been in her stomach was now all over the floor, much to Lana's disdain. The other woman hissed and murmured something under her breath that Kara didn't understand before she grabbed Kara's hair and shoved her face in her own vomit. Her nose was bleeding from the impact with the floor, and then she felt the claws tearing through the skin of her back. She couldn't suppress a muffled scream.

Lana made a clicking sound with her tongue. "You're not being very grateful, Kara. I was planning to make you something special, but maybe you're just my next meal." Her words froze Kara's blood, and her breath came in pants. "That got your attention, didn't it? Don't worry, sweetie. I'm sure we can work something out." The fingers in her hair lowered to caress the skin of her neck and then ran over the wounds on her back. She tried hard not to make a sound. "There's a good girl," she cooed into Kara's ear.

"I'm sorry," she apologized miserably. Blood was still trickling from her back and her cheek, and she only hoped that she didn't lose more. A razor sharp claw parted her lips, and she tasted her own blood. If she had anything left in her stomach, she might have thrown up again, but she stopped the heaves before they came in fear for her life. Lana let out a moan and forced Kara to lick the rest of her fingers until they were clean of any blood.

"That's enough for today," Lana said abruptly. "Next time, I'll bring food. I suggest that you thank me for saving your life when I come back." Kara didn't even see where she left, but she knew the moment that she was alone again. She was going to bleed out all over this floor unless she starved first. Her stomach rumbled in complaint, and she curled in on herself after finding a dry spot on the floor so she could fall asleep and forget the pain.

When Clark reappeared in his office without Kara in his arms, Lex's first instinct was to yell at him. Instead, he took a deep breath and voiced his question. "Where the hell did she go, and how did she manage to run faster than you?" He felt terrible for allowing her to take Kara, but what was he supposed to do? Let Lana shoot her in the head? It might have been a better choice than leaving her to Lana's whims. He immediately pushed that thought aside. If he thought about Kara being tortured, he would never be able to get it out of his mind. He needed to be alert for this.

"I don't know," Clark answered with his eyes on the floor. "She's just gone. I tried to follow her trail, but I lost it on the road. I x-rayed all of Smallville and didn't come up with anything." The younger boy looked wretched. His shoulders were slumped with guilt. Lex didn't wear his emotions on his sleeve like Clark did. Lex attempted to clear his mind so that he could think rationally. Right now, his thoughts were racing. He rarely cared about anyone this much, but Kara occupied his thoughts every few seconds.

"The GPS," he muttered to himself and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Clark was looking at him with the confusion written across his face, but Lex's attention was focused on his phone. "Here. I put a tracker on her in case something like this happened. She should be there." Clark disappeared with a strong breeze. Lex hated when he did that and didn't see how he could've missed that before. When Clark was fifteen and innocent, he had disappeared from Lex's office all the time like that, and he hadn't thought anything of it. So much for trusting the boy.

It took Clark a while to return. Lex sat down on the couch and tensely watched television. He could only hope that it was taking so long because Clark was grabbing Kara. When he returned without her for the second time, Lex could barely control his anger. He squared his jaw. "I x-rayed the entire place, Lex. It's an abandoned facility. I checked every corner. She's not there," he said quietly.

"Fuck." There was no hope if that didn't work. Maybe the dot had fallen off on the way there. It had survived India and South America, but it was dislodged when they needed it most. He detested being helpless. He picked up a crystal glass that was usually filled with scotch and threw it against the wall. It shattered on impact. Clark only looked at him with all the pity in the world in those sea green eyes. "Fucking Lana." She wasn't the root of the problem. He was. But it felt much easier to place the blame on someone else instead of himself.

"We could call the police." It was probably a statement that was meant to comfort him, but it only incited him. Was Clark that stupid that he couldn't see the holes in that plan? He tossed a glance at Clark. His hands were stuffed into the pocket of his old jeans, and he was still wearing that bright red coat that hurt Lex's eyes. His face looked worn. That expression made him look at least ten years older than he was.

"And explain that your alien cousin was kidnapped by my dead ex-wife?" He could see the dejection in Clark's face. It was all in the pout and the child-like eyes that told Lex that he was only trying to help. And, damnit, Lex knew that, but he couldn't be more pissed and alone at the moment. It felt like part of him had been ripped out. "Sorry," he offered. "Kara. She doesn't have a chance without us, and we're failing. _I'm_ failing." His hand came up to rub his forehead.

"Go to sleep, Lex. You look like you could use the rest. I'll keep looking for her. If I find her, I'll call you as soon as I can get to a phone." Uncharacteristically, Lex trusted him. Clark had a good heart, and right now, he was concerned for Lex. Lex nodded and went upstairs. His bed felt empty without Kara in it, and he spent half the night in a restless sleep and the other half wondering if Kara was alright.


	6. Desperation

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part One****: Shadow of a Secret**

**Disclaimer****: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, Lionel Luthor, Martha Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics.**

**Author's Note****: Thank you to all those who commented. Keep 'em coming! In this chapter, there is a small amount of medical talk that may or may not be true because I'm not a doctor. If there are any inaccuracies, I have ignored them in favor of my plot.**

**Chapter Six****: Desperation**

It had been a week since Lana came, and Kara was still gone. A week since he and Clark had found Charity's body in the foyer cold and dead. Her eyes were open in shock and glazed over, and her skin was as cool as marble and pale with blue and violet veins prominent against her flesh. All the tan from her Native American heritage had been drained out of her. There were two puncture wounds in her neck, and the town was abuzz with gossip about the vampire living in the Luthor castle. Lex had a better theory. The coroner's report said that a massive amount of venom was present in her system at the time of death. He could only hope that his beloved wouldn't suffer the same fate. Lex's current status in the community wasn't a good one, but at least the police hadn't accused him of killing her yet. There was a complete lack of motive, and when Lex introduced the possibility of an intruder to the police, they were convinced that it was some unknown party that had killed her.

He felt like whatever soul he had left had been torn out of him and was left dangling in front of his face with his hands tied behind his back. Clark had searched the abandoned warehouse from top to bottom and found nothing. Even so, what was left of Lex's security team was watching the place from afar. He was almost sure that it had something to do with Kara's absence. If they could find a trace of her or Lana there, it would help them immensely. He trusted Clark, but his not-quite friend had a weakness for believing the best in people. Clark had been calling and visiting every day. Perhaps he sensed the darkness in Lex that was taking over now that Kara's brightness was gone. It brought tears to his eyes when he thought that she might be dead, and it was his fault. He wasn't supposed to be this pathetic, but he felt lost without his guiding light.

The glass of scotch in his hand attested to that. He'd been nursing this particular glass for half an hour, only because he was staring at nothing in particular and thinking about her. It was almost as if he could feel her trying to dig into his mind, trying to tell him something and not being able to. He wished that she could. He would give anything for a clue, a sign, or anything that pointed him in her direction. It was at that moment that he decided he would take a look at the warehouse himself. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, a constant reminder of his ineptitude, and looked at the address that he'd memorized a week ago. His mind was made up. After he put a light jacket on, he headed to the garage and got into one of his cars to search for a lost cause. If Clark's inhuman eyes couldn't find anything, what were his chances? He had to see it for himself.

As the car drove closer to the location, his heart began to pound. It sped up in rhythm, like he could sense her presence. Either that or he was being infallibly human and allowing a glimmer of hope to get the best of him. He turned off the headlights and coasted near the warehouse, which loomed in the darkness of the night. His car pulled to a stop, and he shut off the engine. He remembered to lock the car and to bring the gun in the dashboard with him. He wasn't as comfortable with it as before. His temporarily scarred hand spoke for him. The wounds were nasty, but they had healed for the most part. They ached when he thought about them.

The door was large and metal, and he was as quiet as possible as he slid it open just enough to fit his body through the open space. Once he was through, he closed it again and was left in the silence of the huge building. It was almost completely empty, but there were piles of boxes that were neatly stacked. When he checked inside them, he found only packing material. That made them light and easy to move. His blood rushed through his veins in anticipation, but he didn't find anything in the first room. He moved into the second room and did the same. Nothing. No secret trap doors, no collapsible walls. Maybe Clark was right.

He went through a door marked "Employees Only" and climbed a set of stairs to find what used to be a control room. The machines inside were dormant and outdated, and each carried a layer of dust from their disuse. He almost missed the dents in the back of one of them. He fitted his fingers in them, and they were the right shape with the exception of points that dug in deeper than fingernails could. Bingo. At first, he strained to move the large machine, but once he saw a panel behind it, he pushed with renewed vigor and little patience. His half-sober state had disappeared when he came in here. The adrenaline running through his body was enough to erase the traces of alcohol in his system.

He finally pushed it away from the wall enough so that if he found Kara, both of them could get out. The panel slid off the wall easily, and he found himself in a room that could've been described as Lana's territory. There was everything needed for basic living inside the room, but there was also a TV, stereo, and computer. He checked his phone. There was one bar on his signal, which said that he had little chance of sending a message out, but he tried anyways. "Clark, at the warehouse. Panel in control room behind machine. Come now. – LL" The text message miraculously made it out of his phone without an error message, and he continued further into the large living area before he spotted a door.

He took a deep breath before he opened it. He found a set of stairs leading down into absolute darkness. He was glad that he had a flashlight on him. He clicked it on and shone it down the stairs so that he could go down them without falling or missing a step. He used his sleeve to cover his nose. The scent was similar to rotten sewage mixed with blood. He couldn't help a cough as the stairs ended. He shined the flashlight across the nearby area. This room was huge, even by his standards. The light didn't permeate more than ten feet of the abyss. When he finally caught something in his field of vision, he had to keep the bile from rising in his throat.

There were bones. They were shiny white, like they had been polished of all blood and muscle tissue. And they were all still connected in a vague resemblance of the person they once were. He quickly scanned the skeleton with blurry vision and realized that the bones were too big for Kara. It wasn't her. He let out a large breath that he didn't know he'd been holding. God. Ten feet further, and there were splatters of blood on the floor, some old and others new. The stench got worse as he got closer to the end of the room. She had to be here. Had to be alive. Just had to be, otherwise Lex would hunt Lana down and gut her like the inhumane creature she'd become. "Kara?" he called out softly, maybe too quietly. He didn't receive an answer.

His heart nearly stopped when his flashlight stopped on torn flesh. "Oh, fuck," he cursed. He moved as fast as he could and saw that she had more wounds. They were all open and oozing cuts, but some looked fresher than others. She was naked. There were long gashes down her back, in erratic patterns on her butt, and all down her legs. It was like someone had tried to carve her open and decided to leave her there. He bent over, and his hand pulled on her shoulder so that her body rolled onto her back. Her front was just as bad, if not worse. That sweet, innocent, smiling face had been mutilated, and no part of her skin was left untouched. Her neck was slashed, her arms, breasts, and stomach were dotted with cuts, and her leg wounds were so deep that he could see the bone.

Her face was pale, but he couldn't bring himself to accept the facts. She was dead. No one, not even an alien, could lose that much blood and live. The pain alone would've been enough to shock her brain into death. Her sapphire eyes were left open in small slits, and the glassy look of them mirrored Charity's. Death by poison probably would've been preferable compared to what she'd suffered through. Some of her wounds were black with infection, because she'd been forced to lie in her own filth. The billionaire who didn't even like to sweat didn't give a shit about the filth and the blood that would stain his clothes as he wrapped his jacket around her and started to carry her across the room. "God, angel, I'm so sorry," he whispered against an unmarred part of her forehead before he kissed the cool, dry skin.

"Not as sorry as you're going to be." It was a smooth, silky voice that he recognized immediately. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt?" Lana didn't look sorry at all standing at the bottom of the stairs so that she was half-bathed in the dull light above. Lex didn't know how bad it would be. He didn't know how badly Lana had snapped during her sojourn in Shanghai, and he should've believed his father when it came to the kidnapping. He should've taken further precautions and taken her far more seriously. Who would've believed that the reptilian meteor mutant in front of him used to be head cheerleader of Smallville High? He had twisted her into a villain worthy of him, and he regretted it. Kara's body in his arms showed just how much.

"What did you do to her?" His voice was deadly quiet, but it echoed in the large space. He continued to walk toward the stairs. He was halfway across the room, and he fully intended making it out of here alive with Kara's body intact. His Luthor pride demanded it. Like a lion whose cub had been killed by a rival animal, he was a dangerous animal backed into a corner with no regard for life, even his own. He and Kara had been joined somehow, and he felt just as dead as she was. "You fucking bitch. You fucking _freak_!" he shouted out. He was standing directly across from her, waiting for her to move and allow him to go up the stairs. He had to get Kara up there. It was an instinctual drive that he had no choice but to obey. An obsessive sense of protectiveness, the last hope of a man hopelessly in love with a limp body with golden hair stained pink with blood.

Lana's jewel-like eyes flashed in the dark, and he heard a long, slow hiss paired with a flick of her tongue through her lips. "I put her out of her misery. I saved her from you." Her blonde hair was slicked back against her head and pulled into a ponytail, and it only made her appearance that much more unusual. "She was too good for you, so I took your place." Her lips spread into a sensual smile that used to arouse him. Now, it only sickened him. Her long fangs matched the wounds on Charity's neck. "I taught her all the pleasures of the body before her body gave up." The Kryptonite on her necklace and on her hand was glowing. Hadn't Kara gone through enough torture already? "If you drop my food right now, I'll let you walk out of here alive."

"Your food?" There was incredulity in his voice, and he realized that she was talking about Kara. She was going to eat her if he left her here. The bones in the room suddenly made more sense, and so did the remaining strips of flesh and muscle on Kara. She'd been tearing her up to make it easier to eat her, like a goddamned roasted pig being sliced into pieces. "You're fucking sick." He had a flash of Lana peeling the strips from his angel's bones and enjoying the taste like an expensive steak. It wouldn't happen. The hand supporting Kara's back was still holding his gun, and it was hidden in the refuge of her clumped and matted hair.

There was a gleam in her eyes as she tilted her head and pulled her lips back over her teeth to lick those long, sharp fangs. "Is that a no? I would think that you were smarter than that, Lex. After all, she's already dead. And I have to eat, one way or another." Her nostrils flared, and that tongue flicked out and back in again so quickly that it was a blur of motion. "You can't imagine how good she tastes. I can't wait to eat her pussy." A victorious smirk curved her lips, and he knew that she was insane. At this point, to shoot her would be an honest case of self-defense. Not that Lex's conscience needed to stay clean. She looked up at the sound of that machine hiding the panel being pushed a little bit further, and Lex took his chance.

His arm moved up to behind Kara's neck so that he had a better shot, and he squeezed the trigger successfully this time. He saw the realization in her eyes just before the bullet hit her just between them, which sprayed blood all over the stairs behind her. Her body dropped to her knees first, and Lex stepped back to allow the rest of it to fall to the ground. There were small bits of gray matter on the steps that he tried not to think about as they made wet sounds under his shoes. "Clark!" he called out as he reached the top of the stairs, and he found the boy in the middle of Lana's domain.

"Lex! What happened?" His eyes turned absolutely sorrowful when he saw Kara's body, and Lex could see the tears shimmering in his eyes. Clark's hands rested on either side of her face while one thumb swiped over her injured cheek. "She's barely alive. Her heart's beating three times per minute," Clark said softly. Lex's heart sped up at the thought. She was alive. That was all that mattered. He had to get her out of here, away from Lana, even though she was dead on the floor. "She needs medical care right away." There was no way she was going to a hospital, especially not mutilated like this. But Clark was right. Who knew if she was even going to survive the next five minutes?

"Lana threatened me. She wanted to eat Kara. She made a move for me, and I shot her." Lex was tired. He was exhausted. But he couldn't give up. After everything Kara had been through, she still hadn't given up yet. "Grab my phone and dial number three on the speed dial. Tell them where we are, and then say the numbers 31796 and then Code 4. They'll take care of everything here." Clark nodded with trust in his eyes. "I'm going to take her to the car. I'll wait for you." Another nod, and Clark took his phone and started doing what he was told. Lex went back through the panel, which was somewhat cumbersome with the precious gift in his arms. The walk through the two production rooms of the warehouse seemed to take forever, and then Clark was suddenly at his side.

There was a moment of silence between them, and then the questions came. "Why did she want to eat Kara? And why is her skin all ripped up?" Lex shook his head. It was his sign that he didn't want to talk about it right now. He was just content to know that the girl he loved was alive. "Here. Let me take her." It was a gentle command, and Lex's arms were aching anyways. He transferred Kara into Clark's arms and kept a watchful eye on him. He switched on the safety on his gun and placed it in his pocket with visible relief. He took his phone back and called Dedalus's private line.

"We'll talk about what happened later, okay? For now, I want to get Kara out of here." His angel. His sweet, beautiful angel that had almost died because of him. He couldn't get over it. Maybe when she recovered from the ordeal, he would feel better. Clark's eyes showed that he understood. Dedalus finally picked up and answered in a sleepy voice. "Get the fuck up. I have an emergency. We're bringing Kara to the castle. You need to be ready with all your supplies. She has multiple wounds and infections." They would have to do this in the lab. When Dedalus unhelpfully pointed that out, Lex's frustration level rose. "I don't care where. Just get it ready. We'll be there in five minutes." At the most, with Lex's driving.

Lex unlocked his car and opened the back door so that Clark could safely arrange Kara in the back seat. Luckily, this was one of his cars that actually _had_ a back seat, and it wasn't bad when it came to space. Her eyes had closed sometime between the dark carapace and the car, but Lex took that as a good sign. When he closed the back door, he met Clark's serious gaze. "Keys," he commanded with a hand held out. When Lex didn't reach for the keys, Clark gave an irritated sigh. "I saw you drinking earlier. I'm driving." He grumbled as he smacked the keys into Clark's hand, which didn't seem to harm him in the least. Damn. He swallowed some of his pride as he slid into the passenger's seat, but at least he could watch Kara from here.

"Hang in there, angel," he said softly. He didn't care that Clark was listening. He felt far better in Kara's presence, even though she should have been dead. She wasn't out of the woods yet, but at least he was with her. He could see her face, even if it was marred by Lana's claws. Her wounds stank of infection, but he didn't care about that either. He only cared about her safety. In the future, he needed to keep her away from people like the deranged Lana Lang. She was strong enough to handle it, but it had obviously taken a toll on her. What if she didn't want to stay with him after this? He hoped that she would. If she didn't, he would have to find a way to keep her here, voluntarily or not.

Clark's face was pale. Even though he was staring at the road and making sure they got to Lex's place unharmed, Lex could tell that he was thinking about Kara's debilitated state. "I never thought Lana would do something like that." It was just shy of being muttered under his breath, but he threw a glance at Lex to include him in the conversation. "She always seemed so…innocent." Clark's image of her was innocent, Lex corrected in his mind. He'd always had Lana on a pedestal that no female could ever attain, but then again, maybe that was what Lex was doing with Kara. It was easy when they were beautiful.

"I know. I don't think Shanghai was good for her. After she was supposedly blown up, I think she felt like she didn't get the revenge she deserved. So she kidnapped my father, who probably suggested to her that the meteor rocks could help her. She was so different." His voice was somewhat hushed with his awe of the situation. It all seemed so unreal. "The way she moved…It was like she was a goddamn lizard or something. She had fangs. She probably bit Charity and poisoned her with something." The things that the meteors could do were both amazing and terrible. "I'm going to start collecting the meteor rocks."

Clark sent him a worried glance before they pulled up to the mansion and into the drive. "Something was wrong with her, Lex. It wasn't all your fault. Something inside her wasn't right. That's why the meteors twisted her into something so dark. It's like they took advantage of whatever was inside her and multiplied it ten times over." That was the last thing said between them for the moment, because Dedalus was out of the mansion and ready to assist. He didn't need to. Clark carried her down to the lab, where Dedalus used his fingerprint to allow them access. Lex noticed Clark's comfort level drop intensely upon entering the lab, but he swallowed hard and braved through it.

"Fuck," Dedalus breathed when he got a chance to look at her wounds. The man's hair was rumpled, and he was in pajamas under his scrubs. "Holy shit. Was she mauled by a fucking tiger, Lex?" The man almost sounded aggravated. Lex had to put him in his place, so he sent the other man a fiery glare.

"It's none of your concern," he snapped. Clark's stare showed that he didn't like the man either. At least they were common in that. He was thinking about firing the slippery doctor, but it would be hard to find someone with Dedalus's loyalty. His fidelity wasn't directed toward Lex, but to the money Lex paid him. He was a man in love with money. Dedalus hung an IV for Kara and inserted the tiny catheter into her hand. When Clark looked at him questioningly, the other man gruffly explained what he was doing.

"She needs antibiotics. These wounds with the darker color on them," he indicated a swollen, purple cut with his finger, "can't be stitched together until they're free of infection. Unless you want me to amputate the skin, they'll have to stay open for the time being." They all remained quiet while Dedalus stitched up what wounds he could. For a woman whose body was practically split open, it took a long time. When Dedalus noticed improvement in the infected skin, he was able to sew up all of the massive cuts and use thin strips of tape to keep the smaller ones closed. Lex would have Clark carry her upstairs in the morning when the sun was out.

The heart monitor was out, because it would give off an alarm every time they attached it to her. Her heart rate was so low that she shouldn't have been alive, but Lex thanked God that she was. He wasn't as devout as he used to be, but Kara was all the religion he needed now. When Lex checked his watch, he saw that it was seven in the morning. They had been napping on and off for hours next to Kara's bedside while Dedalus did everything he could to make her comfortable. Thankfully, there were no broken bones to add to the mix. When he was done sewing her up, he washed her hair in a basin without wetting the rest of her. The blood came out easily, and then her hair was its normal silky gold again.

For the first time in months, Lex prayed.

The body remembers what the mind forgets. It was an old adage that her father had taught her in her youth. Her body remembered the cold slice of Lana's claws on every surface of her body imaginable, even inside her. The fleshy, feminine part of her that used to make her feel good when Lex touched her there had been torn apart by Lana's claws when the other woman shoved her clawed fingers as deep inside Kara as she could get. Her winding tongue had licked the wounds inside her and irritated them, but she told Kara that her blood tasted like none other. Lana's addiction to her blood had led to further slashing until she felt just as torn as she had inside.

She didn't know how long she had been lying in that cold void, but being away from Lex was tearing her apart inside. She felt like she was dying not from the wounds on her flesh, but from the separation from her mate. The flesh wounds were minimal compared to the wound in her heart. The ever-lasting darkness was torture not because of her wounds bleeding on the floor, but because of the incessant ache inside her soul. She hated herself, hated the smell of her own blood and waste, and hated the woman who had taken her captive. In the face of hate, her father would've embraced it wholly while her mother would have ignored it. Kara allowed it to burn itself out until she was just too tired to hate anything anymore.

There came a point where she felt like a dead slab of alien lying on the ground. Her eyes no longer saw, her ears no longer heard, and she no longer spoke when Lana came. She didn't move from her spot. She didn't care if her waste was aggravating her wounds and making them burn and itch. The lightheaded dizziness was a welcome change to the torture of being totally alert, and the dead daze that she was in was better than feeling Lex's absence. She accepted the fact that she would never see the sun again, that Lex would find her dead somewhere, and that she would die. It was the natural order of things. It was beyond her ability to care when she was this drained. Drained of all energy, all emotion, and all life.

When the time came that she thought she was finally dead, she felt like she was floating on clouds again. Like she was lying on top of a building. Death embraced her with warm arms and, finally, relief from her everlasting pain. The blackness that was separate from the room was welcoming and comforting. She wanted to see her parents, but she thought miserably, maybe she would go to a different afterlife because she had come to Earth. Maybe there was no afterlife. She would be stuck in this limbo for eternity feeling like a baby encased in a womb never to be born again. She didn't deserve it after she had failed in her mission to protect Kal-El, and now she was no longer needed.

She had never met anyone more vicious than Lana Lang. There was no remorse in her eyes as she took full advantage of Kara in every way possible. She had been forced to lick places that she should've never touched on a person that wasn't her mate. Maybe that was why she was being punished, for her disobedience to her mate. In the eyes of Krypton, it didn't matter if it was her fault. Only the action mattered. The thought that the last thing she did in her life was to betray Lex made her want to cry. But she couldn't. She'd left her body to that insane half-woman half-animal, and it was hers now to do with as she pleased. It would probably be eaten and savored. It wasn't how she imagined leaving the universe.

She'd seen the darkness that could take over on her home planet. The House of El was torn apart by arguments between her father and his brother, and she received the brunt of the effects of that split on the war at school. Kids had called her doomed because of General Zod's promise to eliminate all those in the House of El. They played pranks on her to make her think that she was going to die and laughed at her when she screamed and cried in reaction. Her father called her too soft, and her mother loved to pretend that nothing was wrong in their household. But there was. When her father got angry, he would take it out on her mother, Allura, when he thought that she wasn't looking. But Kara had heard enough listening by her parents' doorway and hearing the blows landing and her mother whimpering.

When she was ten years old, her father ordered her to kill her mother. She protested that she couldn't, and Zor-El had beaten her within an inch of her life. She still refused, and he said that she was just as weak as her mother. In a plot to bring Jor-El down, her father allowed her to be kidnapped by General Zod's forces and used for bait. It was a lucky thing that Jor-El had been able to overcome Zod's forces and imprison him in the Phantom Zone. She would never forget the iciness in Zod's eyes. He wasn't Kryptonian, she'd thought to herself, because Kryptonians could never be as cruel as he and his people were. Unlike Lana, Zod had been fairly decent in regards to Kara, but he had still locked her up so that they could lure Jor-El there and kill him. Needless to say, that plan had backfired.

Lana represented the worst in humans. She was the lowest possible rung of the ladder, and if there was anyone lower than her, Kara didn't want to know about them. She only hoped that Clark would be alright. He would be able to evade Lana where she had been weak, and Lex would be able to protect him. She was certain of it. She was the weak link in the chain, and she had been taken out of the equation. If nothing else, she had reunited Clark and Lex, albeit temporarily.

She felt her heart beating. Wouldn't that have stopped if she were dead? Her heart started beating a little bit faster, and then she felt the rise and fall of her chest. She was breathing. She wasn't satisfied with that. She had to take that extra step, to see for herself if she was out of that hellhole. It was a struggle to pull her eyelids open, but she was rewarded with a view of a beautiful, cloudless blue sky. It was such a refreshing reception that her lips parted the slightest bit, and she let out a small "oh" in amazement.

"Kara?" It wasn't the voice that she yearned for, but it was a pleasing one. At least it wasn't Lana's dulcet tones that assaulted her with fear. It was Clark who leaned over her with concerned sea-green eyes. His jet black hair was more tousled than usual, and he looked a little like Lex when he just woke up. "You're awake." He beamed a smile in her direction, and the grin lit her up from the inside. It dimmed a little when he spoke next. "Don't try to talk. I'm going to go get Lex, so try and stay awake." He disappeared from her view, and she wondered for a moment why she shouldn't talk.

Then she was right back in the basement of the warehouse, and Lana's claws were dragging across her cheek and ripping her flesh and the muscle beneath it. She was pulled out of the darkness by Lex's pale blue eyes. "Lex." She didn't need to say anything else. It was hard to open her mouth very much because of her wounds. Her skin felt like it was being pulled and stretched. It was unpleasant, to say the least, and Lex's name came out a little muddled because of it. It didn't seem to matter, though, as his hand touched her scalp and allowed his fingers to run through her hair. The comforting, familiar gesture was just what she needed.

"Kara." The enormity of the emotion in his voice spoke volumes about how he felt about her consciousness. A real smile overtook his features as he leaned down and kissed her lips very lightly. "I thought you'd never come back to me, angel." His voice was soft and genuine, and she wanted nothing more than to be in his arms this instant. "Your skin probably feels weird right now. Dedalus sewed up your cuts so that your skin can heal, so it might hurt for a few days." His smooth fingertips lingered on the sides of her face, and there was nothing in the world that she wanted right now that she didn't have right in front of her.

"Love you." With her restrictions, it sounded more like "Lllvyu," but Lex understood. She needed many more hours in the sun before she could start really feeling better, but right now, she was just happy to be with her mate again. Her brave, handsome, misunderstood Lex. She couldn't have imagined a better mate. Previously, she might have worried that Lex wasn't all the way loyal to her, but now she knew. All she had to do was take one look into those loving eyes and know that he was hers and she was his.

"I love you too, Kara." His words were the last thing she heard before a certain peacefulness claimed her. She allowed herself to slip back into resting mode and allow the sun to heal her outer wounds. As for the inner ones, the only thing that could heal those was time. Thankfully, she had much more of that than she thought.


	7. Broken Home

**SPOILERS**** for Season 7**

**As the Sun Rises, Darkness Falls**

**Part Two:**** Regeneration**

**Disclaimer****: Kara Zor-El, Kal-El, Jor-El, Zor-El, Lara, Allura, General Zod, Lionel Luthor, Martha Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor are the property of DC Comics. Some of this chapter and some information from subsequent chapters have been influenced by the book ****The Last Days of Krypton****. It's a great read, and I recommend it to anyone who loves Superman. These ideas are used in a non-profit fashion and just for fun and inspiration.**

**Author's Note****: Wow, this chapter took way longer than I'd hoped it would! I didn't have ideas for a long time, and the book mentioned above really inspired me to start again with this chapter. Thanks for being so patient, and I hope everyone loves it!**

**Chapter Seven****: Broken Home**

When Kara gazed into the mirror, the reflection staring back at her did not resemble a traditional Kryptonian. Convention dictated that public officials and people of status had a neat, pleasing appearance. Any marks or deviations from the norm were to be covered up and hidden from public view. In order to cover up her scars, she would have to adopt clothing that hid everything but her eyes. Vivid pink scars rose up and away from her skin to create an aesthetic that only the eldest Kryptonian warriors could appreciate. Her sun-kissed flesh was broken by jagged, uneven reminders from the torturous experience of being torn from the inside out and left for dead.

For a warrior of the old times, each scar represented victory over violent adversity. Their ideals were written in war wounds, and the more of them a warrior had, the more respect they deserved. If she thought of her scars in that aspect, she should have held her head high with pride for surviving a vicious attack. Two days had passed before she was able to walk freely around the castle again with only minor pain from stretching her injuries when she moved the wrong way. It was her first time in front of a mirror since the incident, and her immediate reaction was to hate what she saw. After all, the civilization of Krypton as she left it would have isolated her because of her physical mutilation. In their eyes, each scar was a menace to society's mental well-being. She would be better off as an outcast so that the general population did not become disturbed by her repulsive unsightliness.

Many would have thought that her face was the worst of it all, but in truth, all of it was revolting. There was no domain left untouched by the dig of Lana's claws, but most of them weren't visible. Her face was. There were four deep wounds on each side of her face. On one side, they extended all the way down to her lips. It made it uncomfortable to talk, but that wasn't the only reason for her recent introversion. The physical wounds were only the beginning of her problems. Before the event, the feeling of security had been taken advantage of. Now that she knew that an attack was easier than she expected, she was on high alert and often felt vulnerable. Even with Clark and Lex taking shifts in watching over her, she didn't feel remotely safe. On the contrary, she felt exposed. Lana had slashed her way into her and left everything lying out in the open.

No matter how she tried to look at herself, she could not see a warrior. She didn't have the heart for it. Her eyes, timid and fearful, were that of a victim. The strength inside her was gone, and her reserves were empty. Her tentative world had been turned upside down. The scars on her body were covered by a long-sleeved shirt that fit her very well and scooped down at the neck to show the beginnings of the wounds. It was bright blue to offset her dark jeans. She longed for a mask to cover her face to keep the deep ache from hitting her every time she looked at herself. If she wanted to admit the truth, she would confess that she loathed her current exterior and wished that the sun would restore her smooth skin faster. Because there was Kryptonite involved, her bloodstream retained traces of it and prolonged the healing process.

Lex had been occupied with other things for the past two days, including a massive excavation for meteor rocks, so she was mildly surprised to see him enter the room instead of Clark. Her room had become her sanctuary. It served as a place where she could be left alone for the most part. She could watch television, and the cook bothered her less. She hadn't been eating nearly as well as she should have, but there were far more important things stirring in her mind besides hunger and thirst. His pale blue eyes watched her intently for five seconds or more. She recognized it as an examination of her well-being, and he must not have liked what he found. The polished front he maintained in his all-black suit was replaced with concern as he approached her from behind. His arms slid around her waist and gently pulled her back against him. He was careful of her scars.

They hadn't slept together since Lana kidnapped her. She faced no accusation in his eyes. Instead, he turned his face so that his lips brushed against the side of her neck in an affectionate kiss. Her head moved backwards to rest on his shoulder while her eyes closed in an attempt at temporary relaxation. It felt a hundred percent better just to be in his arms. "The scars will be gone within two weeks," he said softly. His warm breath puffed on the sensitive skin of her neck. Listening to the rhythm of his breathing was more calming than anything.

"I know." She fought to keep her voice amicable instead of projecting how tense she was. "You have work today." The gentle reminder veiled the question of why he was here and not there. It was too early for him to come home, and she was accustomed to his late nights. It wasn't that she was complaining, but there remained a very real fear in her that she would have to face her demons and learn how to be sensual again without thinking of her terrible trauma. The thought terrified her. It was her mate, but his touch would bring back memories that she wanted to bury. His hand reached up to touch her cheek, but as soon as she felt his proximity, she violently flinched away from the attempted contact. Lana's touch was too fresh.

"Easy." His tone was smooth and meant to soothe her, but nothing calmed her more than seeing his hand fall. There was new sadness in his eyes, and she had a feeling that he was finally beginning to understand what effect this entire thing had on her. She couldn't find the strength to look in the mirror anymore. Temporary as her scars might have been, she still had to live with them for a week or more. "I have more important business to tend to than Luthorcorp." She could deal with Clark's constant, watchful presence, but Lex presented pressure that she felt so much more than Clark's somber eyes.

When she drifted away from his grip, he allowed it. The displeasure showed in his eyes. What frightened her was that his gaze was harder and colder than it had ever been. He could have been giving Dedalus or Charity that look, but now he was turning it on her. The loving glances had disappeared along with her will to touch and be touched. What if Lex didn't love her anymore? She forced herself to push the question to the back of her mind and to focus on the moment. "I want to be alone." Her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive position and to create the illusion of strength. It didn't work. His lips curled into a snarl as he snatched her arm and pulled her close. She pushed back against his hold, but he was too powerful for her weakened state. "Lex," she protested.

Her struggle reached its peak as she pushed him with all her might, but his fortitude held. Her own movement retaliated and sent her head slamming back into the mirror. She heard the distinct shatter as her head throbbed from the rough impact. When she reached back to touch her head, her fingers came away warm with blood. His eyes went wide with shock mingled with remorse, and she found herself wrenched into a hug. "I'm sorry." It was a voice with a weakened resolve. He was acknowledging that he made a mistake, but with almost every part of her body touching his, she was unable to cope. His grasp was invulnerable to her resistance, but she could hear the frustration in his voice. "Damnit, Kara!" His vehement curse was immediately followed by the bite of his lips and tongue forcing her mouth open.

For that moment, all she could hear was her harsh breaths coming out of her nose. It didn't take long for him to break the kiss, and she only winced when his fingertips brushed the skin of her cheeks. His cheeks were bright pink with frustration, but she could feel it draining from him as the longevity of the skin contact increased. "You scare me," she whispered quietly. His eyes, which had been forlornly drawn to the floor, were lifted to stare into hers. "Like her." This infuriated him more than anything, but he kept his mouth shut despite his anger. Any kind of violent reaction would only prove her point.

"I don't want to," he admitted softly. One of his hands slipped into her hair while the other rested on her marred cheek. His fingers were careful of the back of her head, but they gently removed shards of glass that were tangled in her hair. "I hate what she did to you. All I want to do is erase her touch and make you – us – normal again." His tone expressed his mild aggravation, but she understood at once that all his aggression was being misplaced. He wasn't angry with her. He was livid with Lana, and since he had no outlet to release all that built-up anger, she took the brunt of it. Her unwillingness to work with him had only made it worse. She had her own issues, yes, but did that mean that she could refuse to alleviate his?

It was somewhat awkward to lift her arms over his, but once she did, she ran her hands over his smooth head. He closed his eyes and resembled a cat. She expected to hear him purr at any moment. All of the tension between them had been somewhat relieved by the mere sense of touch, the thing that she feared and detested all at once. "You can't erase what she did to me." His eyes were still intense, but his calm overcame the anger and the hate. "I need time. I hate my scars. They're ugly." There. The confession was out, and she couldn't take it back. His head tilted downward so that his forehead pressed against hers and their eyes were perfectly aligned.

"You're beautiful. I don't care about the scars." He was telling the truth. It showed in his silvery blues, and she appreciated it. But she couldn't agree with his opinion. After all, he hadn't seen the way the rest of her body was scarred and just how much she'd been torn. She was certain that, once he saw that, he would become disgusted with her. She possessed an innate desire to comfort her mate through intimacy, but at the same time, self-preservation told her to wait until the scars healed. "I just need you to touch me," he murmured with a sigh. To any other female, it might have sounded like a selfish request, but she may have unwittingly been sharing her feelings of insecurity with him.

"I love you." Tears sprang to her eyes, always ready to fall when she didn't want them to. "But I can't. Not this soon." She should've felt secure with her mate, but she didn't. Her dreams were filled with flashes of reptilian green eyes, and she was frightened of the thought of them interrupting intimate moments. It was better to push him away before they started anything instead of waiting until they were caught in the throes of passion and numb inhibitions. His disappointment was written on his face and magnified by his swift exit. His steps were short and punctuated. He was fuming, but he obviously didn't want to cause her harm. She gazed down at the dry, sticky blood on her fingers and decided that she was in need of a shower. It would allow her to think logically.

The hot water seemed to melt away her problems as long as she kept her eyes closed. She was reluctant to shower completely nude, but she was determined to overcome that ridiculous fear. It went fine until she had to rub her hands over her skin in order to clean it. With nothing but the foam of the soap between her fingers and her scars, she could feel the raised, hard ridges that covered her body. In truth, she felt safer with Lex than she did with herself. He wanted to help her heal, not only physically, but mentally as well. After her shower was finished and her body covered with expensive fabric, she ventured out to the greenhouse.

Her fascination with these flowers stemmed from the fact that they were primitive compared to what she was used to. Her mother's precisely-tended garden was full of perfect flowers that had no flaws and served many purposes. These flowers seemed so raw and wild. Their appeal was something that she couldn't resist. No two plants were alike here. The garden in her memory had rows and rows of flowers that looked exactly like one another and were bred to perfection. She remembered Krypton calling itself the perfect society before Zod's army took over the planet on its way to destruction. Maybe being flawless wasn't the answer here. Lex appreciated her for her personality, but she wondered if he would stay with her if the scars were permanent.

His devotion was a mystery to her. She wondered if he really did love her or if she was some exotic curiosity that would fade with time and damage. In light of recent events, she would say that love was the answer. Lana's attack should have brought them closer, but Kara felt an odd separation between them that tore them apart. It was her fault. Her mother never would have laid eyes on her if she was scarred like this on Krypton. She would have been thrown out of society by the Council, and Allura would have done nothing to stop them. Her father was a brilliant scientist and once-leader of Argo City. He wouldn't have done anything to prevent it either. He always said that nature should be allowed to take its course. That was what had gotten all but two of their race killed, including her family.

She remembered her uncle's vibrant blue eyes and the skin next to them that wrinkled when he smiled. His shock of white hair had once been black like her father's, but it had changed early. It didn't bother Jor-El. Nothing had. He walked through life carefree and interested only in his family and science. She remembered many times that she entered his laboratory, the largest space that she'd ever seen outside of Kandor, to find him tripping over equipment, staring intently at something that she would never understand, or talking to himself about his latest invention. Everything about him made her smile, and he would always greet her fervently and launch into an explanation of what he was doing. She wouldn't understand what he was saying half the time, but his intense concentration and interest were admirable.

When Aunt Lara was there, she would only smile and shake her head in loving dismissal at Jor-El's antics. She was beautiful with copper hair that shone in the red sunlight and blazing green eyes that sparkled with mirth. She could see why her father had been so enamored of Lara, but it wasn't as if her mother was plain. Allura was insanely intelligent, but never plain. Her light brown hair was cut in a cropped fashion that was more function than anything, and her blue eyes were pale and dynamic. They would change colors with her mood, like Lex's eyes did. With a politician and a scientist as a father and an eminent botanist as a mother, she would have had much to live up to had her family not fallen out of favor under Zod's rule.

Her father did not stand strong against Zod and instead searched for ways to curry his favor. Her mother had lost her job because of their ancestry, and her brilliance took a turn toward madness. She wished that she could have had more time to spend with her parents as they had been before Zod's takeover instead of the warped years of her later life. Jor-El and Lara stood strong against the tyrannical dictator, and she loved them for it. But as soon as her father assigned blame to her uncle, she'd been forbidden from seeing him. When little Kal-El came along, the situation became more dangerous, but she remembered sneaking out to see him or babysit while Lara and Jor-El had important things to do. She came home to beatings when her father found out, but it had been worth it.

She closed her eyes against the tears that wanted to come. She was careful to keep her hands at her side, and they squeezed into fists when she thought of her father's punishment. The flash of memory that her thoughts provoked was past unpleasant. Her father, drunk on power and anger, had thrown her into a hrakka pen, where the large lizards nearly tore her apart. She could have been killed. She'd carried the scars on her abdomen and in her heart until her arrival here. Even with such abuse, she missed her father. But it was only the part of him before Zod that she wished would return. If Jor-El and Lara had known anything, they would have taken her in without question. She didn't want to put them in any more danger than they were already in under Zod's threat.

Remembering the hissing lizards with their sharp, razor-like claws swiping at her was so vivid that she could feel her heart pounding. The smell of the oily hide filled her nostrils, and the burn of teeth and claws slashing into her skin was almost tangible. She looked down when she felt liquid running through her fingers and saw the distinct stain of blood on her hands. It was real. The dizzying effect was staved off by her grasp on reality. She was surrounded by harmless flowers and plants. She fought to bring herself back and to see what had really happened. In all the panic, she'd torn open one of her wounds, which was bright red with fresh pain.

The trip to the mansion wasn't bad, but it was certainly hard not to focus on the pain. "Lex!" she called out as soon as she was in the door. She waited a few moments, but he didn't come. Rather than hunt him down, she went down to the sublevels and to the laboratory. Her fingerprint wouldn't provide her access. She hadn't tried, but it was a fact that Lex made sure she was aware of. She could hear the sound of faint footsteps inside. When she focused her hearing, she heard mutterings into a tape recorder. "Dedalus?" The mumbling stopped, and she stepped back as the door slid open. "I cut myself."

While he assessed her wound, her eyes ran over his disheveled appearance. His hair was mussed and greasy, there were circles underneath his eyes, and he had an odor to him that told her he could use a shower. He tilted his head toward the hospital bed. "Lie down." She entered the cold room and did as she was told. There were many computers running with different beakers and tests in progress, but she didn't understand any of it. She was reminded of her uncle's laboratory, only this scientist was much darker and didn't care for her like Jor-El did. He came back with a tray of tools and lifted her hand away from the wound before rolling up her shirt to look at it. "Ah. You cut yourself deep. Such a powerful creature injured by something so irrevocably human."

His muted chuckle barely registered in her mind. Dedalus's presence made her nervous. She didn't feel secure with him like she did with Lex. There was an emotional aspect that drew her and Lex together, but Dedalus was only in this for profit. She wondered just how much he'd profited from her behind Lex's back. "I didn't pay attention," she murmured. The cleaning didn't hurt as much as the stitching would, but it still agitated the injury. Two towels came away soaked with her blood before he finally started stitching. The pain made her fingers close on the metal railing at the side of the bed and twist it with a loud groan. She would swear that he was making this more painful than he had to. From the corner of her eye, she saw his tongue swipe across his lips. The smell of her own blood was making her sick. How could he be enjoying this?

"Lex is planning on keeping you all to himself," he said with an almost imperceptible hum. "The most powerful creature on Earth, and he wants you to squander your gifts. That's selfish, don't you think?" She gritted her teeth. This was a conversation that she wanted to avoid. "You really are extraordinary. Someone like you shouldn't be kept from the rest of the world. After all, they need power just as much as he does." She waited for him to finish. It seemed like every minute that ticked by took an hour. She knew that it was because she was watching time go by instead of being passive and allowing it to pass, but that didn't stop her.

"I don't think so," she said quietly. He remained silent until he was finally done, and she waited until he placed a fresh bandage on it before attempting to get up. His hand powerfully pushed her back down, and his eyes held a glimmer of malice. "Let go." Her eyes hardened into a glare, and she felt the tickle of heat vision burning behind her retinas. She wanted badly to let it loose on him, but the physical threat wasn't quite enough to justify that kind of reaction. With all the tension in her body projected in her voice, she carefully crafted a response. "I'm not ready for that." That was a plausible explanation from either side. She only hoped that he would consider it so.

Lex released his tension with a sigh. He barely made it to his office without smashing something, and an expensive ash tray bore the brunt of his fury. It lay in shattered pieces on the floor in front of his desk, and he could see them from behind it. He was tempted by the amber liquid in his liquor cabinet, but he decided to save the crystal decanter from ending up on the floor with the ash tray. It was wise to keep his hands free of things that he could break until he cooled down. He'd been stable before all of this. Before this beautiful blonde with sparkling eyes stole his heart and his control over the world around him. Everything threatened to fall apart because of that mutant that had once been his wife.

The anger that he displayed in front of Kara wasn't toward her. She was recovering. It was understandable that she was not only physically scarred from the event but mentally as well. Lana touched her and made her feel like she was something unworthy of his affection, and it made his blood boil when he saw the caution in her eyes. He could never hurt her. He had the desire to make her understand what he was experiencing, the flood of emotion that he wasn't used to at all, but he wasn't using the right channels of communications. He was putting his needs before hers, and that needed to change. She required time to heal from Lana's assault. He could give her that.

In the meantime, he would figure out a way to keep his irritation under wraps. It seemed that every second away from her was a second wasted. He wanted nothing more than to be with her again the most primal way, even if she just slept next to him. The constant warmth of her body would provide him the comfort he needed. If he could only find some way to make her feel safe with him again, he wouldn't have to worry about this unbridled aggression. He craved her touch, but he couldn't take it by force. He would have to be patient and wait for her to come to him.

Movement by the door caught his attention. His father entered unannounced and approached the desk with leonine grace. His hands were folded behind his back, which gave him the appearance of a predator. Those dark, amber eyes swept across the mess on the floor and carefully analyzed the remains of Lex's temper tantrum with a raised eyebrow. "I hope that Kara wasn't here to witness your petulance." With his short, choppy words, Lionel deliberately slipped insult into his concern. "This certainly isn't any way to entertain such a _special_ young lady." He could read the malice in his father's eyes, and it almost took him aback. He'd been under the illusion that his father couldn't care less about Kara, but he should've known better. He spoke her language. Of course he was interested in her. The thought made Lex bristle with annoyance.

"She wasn't. Her whereabouts are none of your business." He had to learn to control his temper, because he didn't want his father to see his vulnerability. He struggled to put on the cold veneer that he'd perfected over the years, but he couldn't hold back a slight snarl. "What do you want, Dad? I thought that we were done with your surprise visits." The jab didn't affect Lionel like he wanted it to. His first visit with Kara in the stables had forced Lex to tighten up security. Obviously, his strategy for keeping Lionel out of the picture hadn't worked. He would have to fire the incompetent servant who disobeyed his strict orders.

"You know, the things I've learned about Krypton are very interesting." This had to be going somewhere. He could only watch as his father prowled around his desk and walked behind him. He couldn't help a small twitch when his father's hand came down to rest on his shoulder. Lionel's voice lowered until it no longer boomed throughout the room. It was meant for his ears only. "For example, did you know that they were taken over by a dictator a few years before the planet's internal destruction? He was an ambitious general, but eventually, his inattention cost him his freedom. He was trapped in an otherworldly prison called the Phantom Zone." The name sounded so familiar that it gave him chills, but he couldn't remember where it came from. It was rare that his perfect memory failed him.

"Is this another one of your historical life lessons?" He sounded pompous, but he was glad that his father wasn't facing him. Lionel couldn't see the weakness in his eyes. He had the feeling that this wasn't normal. His father was sharing information about Krypton that he'd kept secret for years. Lionel had to have a reason for it. He knew that Lex was hungry for information about Kara's home planet. Kara tried to explain a few things, but she remained quiet for the most part when he asked about Krypton. After such traumatic ruin, he could understand why. Lionel wasn't the type to dance around a topic unless he planned to prolong the suspense and drama of his announcement. Whatever it was, it was definitely important.

"My point," Lionel enunciated, clearly agitated at his son's careless rejection of his incredibly tempting release of vital intelligence on the doomed planet, "is that Jor-El, Clark's father and Kara's uncle, fought against this general with all his wisdom and strength and won. The House of El had one distinct enemy, and his name was General Zod." A chill ran through his blood. He would never forget the name of the evil entity that once inhabited him. He never thought to connect it with Kara and Clark's race, but it fit perfectly. "I'm very disappointed in you, Lex. You've thrown away every offer I've given to you. Today, you will accept my offer to return to Metropolis and work directly under me, or else Kara will find out exactly what Zod did with your body."

He knew what his father was threatening to do. The damage that Zod had inflicted on the world had been catastrophic. If Kara knew that he had a hand in that, if she saw evidence of the destruction Zod caused here on Earth, she would surely break down. He would never regain her trust. He was backed into a corner, and there was only one option. "I need time to teach her more of our language and customs. I suppose there are other strings attached to your proposal?" He didn't wear defeat well, and he knew that his present mood seemed more agitated than weak, but agitation was a type of weakness according to the Luthors.

"Of course." Lionel's head dipped in a small nod of approval. His father was obviously pleased with his fast decision, even though he didn't have a choice in the matter. "I require more time with Kara. Through her, we can learn more about her culture. I can also teach her English more efficiently than anyone else." That was another jab at his character. He was far too busy to properly instruct her, so he was somewhat relieved that there was someone else to take on those duties. Unfortunately, it had to be his father. Lionel's eyes turned dark as he turned away from the light. "I also would like you to take care of Dedalus. He can't be trusted with something of this magnitude, and I'm appalled that you chose him in the first place. From now on, you will conduct all experiments related to Kara yourself to ensure that this doesn't happen again," he snapped.

Kara's safety really did mean something to Lionel. Lex's momentary shock was only clouded by his father's denouncement of Dedalus's abilities. "How do you suppose I take care of him?" He used words of caution because he saw what his father meant. The dark glint in Lionel's eyes only meant one thing. "I can't just kill him," he said in a hushed voice with widened eyes. What did Lionel expect? He was prone to use measures of deceit, but that didn't mean he was a killer. Even being accused of Lana's murder had disgusted him. "He's loyal. He won't tell anyone." His father's smirk implied that he knew all the secrets in the world. Not only did he know a chunk of them from this world, but he also knew much about Krypton as well.

"Really? Perhaps that's why he hasn't informed you that Kara has injured herself. He's treating her as we speak." His already bruised ego was wounded even more, and he couldn't keep the emotion out of his eyes. He wanted to ask a hundred questions at once pertaining to her health and how Lionel discovered this, but his father silenced him with a raised palm. "I will accompany you to the lab so that you can see the doctor's treachery for yourself." How his father could have possibly planned something like this eluded him, so he believed it to be true for the moment. There was no way his father could concoct such a precise scheme. He was on his feet without a second thought, and the glass crunched under his Italian shoes as he thought of ways to get rid of anyone who would plot against Kara.


End file.
